K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune recently interviewed Jerry Reinsdorf, and some of Reinsdorf’s answers were shocking. Here are a few of the more interesting things Reinsdorf said during the interview:

Actually, we made a decision a year ago not to commit long term to Ben. We tried. And he turned it down. But then near the end, John and Gar decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to make a long-term decision and to see what other options might develop over the season. So we withdrew the offer we had on the table. Ben ultimately came in and said he would take it. But it was too late. Now, fast-forward to the end of the year. We have [John] Salmons and a hell of a three-guard rotation with Salmons, [ Kirk] Hinrich and Derrick [Rose]. Ben wasn’t going to get a whole lot of playing time. His time was going to be diminished. And now we’ve added [Jannero] Pargo for the limited time the fourth guard will get. Ben just no longer fit. He’s a terrific player. But he needs minutes. And he wouldn’t have been happy with the minutes he was going to get here.

It is hard to see John and Gar making such a decision. John Paxson has always been a big fan of Gordon, and Gar Forman was stating how Ben is his kind of player, and how it’s a top priority to re-sign Ben. I think what happened is Reinsdorf made a decision, and self-deluded himself into thinking that the basketball minds made the decision.

He also says that by the end of the year the Bulls had a terrific three guard rotation of Rose, Hinrich, and Salmons. This is a half truth, yes, the Bulls had a terrific three guard rotation, but it was of Rose, Gordon, and Hinrich. Salmons spent most of his time as a Bull last year at small forward. Does he even watch the games?

Finally, if the Bulls did bring Gordon back, why wouldn’t he get minutes? He is a better player than Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons…and even Derrick Rose. (Although hopefully Rose is at least on Gordon’s level, if not better starting this year). What other team in the league plays inferior players over their best players? This is crazy talk. I think Vinny would have played Gordon if he was re-signed. If Vinny wants to keep his job, he has to win, and playing Ben as many minutes as he can get out of him would hel pthe Bulls win the most.

We’ve made a lot of trades. I don’t think we move too slowly. [ Pau] Gasol, we didn’t move slowly. We said no. We were prepared to give them players. What they wanted to do was dump stuff on us that we would be immobilized and we wouldn’t be able to improve our team. Gasol made sense for the Lakers because, what is he, their third best player probably? He would’ve been our best player at that time. It would’ve been the wrong role for him. John and Gar decided they didn’t want Gasol under those circumstances where he would be the last piece and we’d be immobilized under the cap.

Now we have closure on what happened with Pau Gasol, and that is that the Bulls said no. The rumored deal was a trade that involved the Bulls sign and trading P.J. Brown, who would have a contract that was only guaranteed for one year, for Gasol as the principle. The trade would have thrusted the Bulls into luxury tax area, but would have greatly improved the team.

He also states that Gasol is the Lakers third best player. That’s crazy talk. Gasol is better than Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, or whoever he feels is the Lakers third best player.

Again, he says that John Paxson and Gar Forman decided. Once again, I find it more likely that Jerry decided, and is just saying that John and Gar decided.

Another part I found particularly bothersome is “where he would be the last piece and we’d be immobilized under the cap.” Why would Gasol have to be the last piece? Why would we be immobilized? We would still have the MLE and LLE to add talent, and we would have had expiring contracts in either Ben Wallace (2010) or Drew Gooden (2009) and Larry Hughes (2010), which we could have moved for more talent. The only reaosn why Pau Gasol would be the final piece, is because the owner doesn’t want to spend any more money.

According to K.C. Johnson, Luol Deng has began running and Tyrus Thomas is wearing a cast for a sore wrist.

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said Luol Deng has started running after a stress fracture in Deng’s right tibia sidelined the forward for the final 22 games of the regular season and the playoffs.

“He’s been [at the Berto Center] working some,” Forman said. “He’s starting to run some and get some shots up. So we think that’s progressing well. At this point, [the training staff] is real happy with his progress.”

Hopefully Deng can get back on track. A lot of fans are really writing Deng off as eing injured for a portion of the season, and when he is healthy, to not play at a very high level. However, if Deng can return to his 2006-2007 form, the Bulls could improve into the Eastern elite if they bring back Ben Gordon.

There was also this tidbit about Tyrus Thomas.

Tyrus Thomas is wearing an air cast for two to three weeks to immobilize a sore wrist. The injury isn’t serious

If the injury is only minor, than trades involving Thomas should still be able to go down on draft night. The downside to the injury, is that Thomas is going to lose a few weeks of working on his game, if he does stay with the Bulls.

According to the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson, Derrick Rose has started summer workouts.

Derrick Rose: No need to worry about the Rookie of the Year resting on his laurels. He planned a Sunday night solo workout at the Berto Center. “My shot isn’t going to get better without me working on it,” Rose said. He remains the franchise’s centerpiece.

This is great news for two reasons. First, he is showing great dedication and working on his game, but just as importantly, his shot seems to be his biggest priority.

If Derrick Rose develops a quality jumpshot, he will be unstoppable. Rose needs to make it a priority to develop a three point shot, because right now he is a nonfactor from three, and rarely shoots it.

If he gets the jumpshot developed, he will open up his drive. Once he does that, the other team will have to either double team him or have their big men constantly in a position to meet Rose and stop his penetration. This should open up some easy dunks for Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, as well as open up shots for Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, and John Salmons.

It is absolutely crazy though, that he is working out the day after a grueling seven game series. But it is that type of dedication that will make him a superstar, and that type of dedication that will help the Bulls become a championship team again.

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Update: March 16th, 2009 - 7:30 PM

It turns out that NBA players have to pay the state income tax for each place that they play. Therefore, only 41 of the games that Gordon would play if he signed in Miami, would be free of a state income tax. It still allows Miami to make a somewhat competitive offer, but not quite as competitive as the numbers in this article. After the draft, as we draw closer to free agency, the numbers will be updated in a new article.

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This is an inconvenient truth that the Chicago media has yet to quite comprehend. The Bulls are going to have to make Ben Gordon a legitimately high contract offer if they wish to retain him. K.C. Johnson recently threw out a number of $8 million a year for how much the Bulls should pay Gordon. Newsflash, this isn’t going to get it done, and in this article, I will show you why.

First, let’s work within the confines of the MLE. Here, we’ll examine that potential Bulls offer against potential MLE offers that the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks can make.

First let’s look at what the Bulls offer actually comes out to be. An offer from the Bulls to Gordon of $8 million a year, amounts to a $48 million over 6 years. Gordon would end up netting $29.76 million from this deal. The first five years of this deal (for comparisons sake, as the other teams will only be able to offer 5 year MLE deals) is worth $38.337 million, of which Gordon would net $23.77 million. The first year of this deal would be worth $6.337 in the first year. Gordon would net $3.93 in the first year of that deal.

In their memo, the NBA estimated the 2008-2009 salary cap to be set the estimated salary cap at $57.3 million. This makes the possible first year of an MLE contract to be worth $5.73 million. The max another team could sign Gordon to for the MLE would be $33.234 million over five years.

Let’s start with Miami, who attempted to trade for Gordon this past summer, but the Bulls declined. The Heat could offer Gordon a five year contract that would net him $21.60 million. That is only $2.17 million less than the proposed Bulls offer.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the NBA. They are committed to winning, and would definitely spend money on a talent like Gordon for the MLE to try to win a championship. (Any team in the NBA would probably take Gordon for the MLE). The Cavaliers can make Gordon a five year offer that will net him $19.11 million. That is $4.66 million less than the Bulls would be giving him. Something tells me that Gordon could make up that difference in extra Nike endorsements from playing with Lebron James, and being on a legitimate championship contedner.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the same boat as the Cavaliers. They’re a championship contender, and any extra piece of fire power that could help them get over the top would help immensely. The most the Lakers could offer Gordon is a deal that nets him $18.51 million. That is $5.26 million less than the Bulls offer. Again, playing on a championship contender could help Gordon get extra endorsements to close that gap.

The last team to look at from this group is the New York Knicks. The Knicks attempted to trade for Gordon this summer, using Stephon Marbury’s expiring contract, but couldn’t get the Bulls to bite. Donnie Walsh also showed interest in Gordon during the 2004 NBA Draft, with rumors that he offered Jermaine O’neal to the Bulls in exchange for Gordon. The Knicks could sign Gordon to the MLE, and then use him as a piece to attract 2010 free agents. Gordon lobbied for the Bulls to make the Knicks current coach, Mike D’Antoni, the Bulls’ head coach this past summer. The Knicks could make an offer that would net Gordon $19.04 million, which is $4.73 million less than the proposed Bulls offer. Gordon could help make up that money in endorsements, by getting a larger profile in New York, and potentially blossoming into a superstar on the offensive side of the ball in D’Antoni’s offense.

Another scenario that could play out is that these teams offer Gordon a three year deal. if Gordon plays three years on one of these teams, the team would secure his bird rights, at which point, they could give Gordon a pay raise. The Knicks, because of their large revenue and their willingness to spend money seems like the best destination for this scenario to fold out in. Gordon makes the Knicks into a playoff team next year on the MLE, helps attract some big name free agents, and then when his three years are up, the Knicks would reward Gordon with a big contract of his own.

If Gordon is looking for a longterm contract, I would think the Heat’s offer would have to be the best. The lack of a state income tax is what allows the Heat’s offer to be so competitive with the Bulls. I think the Heat would have the best chance of becoming a championship team while giving Gordon a competitive salary. They already have Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley, and under this scenario would be adding Gordon. The Heat would still have money to sign one of the big name free agents in 2010. That would be a scary team. The $2.17 million (or $434,000 a year) difference between the Bulls and Heat’s contracts should be easy for Gordon to make up the difference from new endorsements from being on a winner. If Gordon could go to Miami and start, and be part of a great team, why would he stay in Chicago for about the same money? He would be crazy to.

What the Bulls can do however, is make a quality contract offer to Gordon. They don’t have to offer him the sky and the moon to keep him. They just have to make him a respectable offer. If they offer him $9 million a year ($54 million over 6 years, what the Bulls offered Gordon this past summer), the first five year gap between the Bulls and Heat’s potential offers increases to $5.14 million. Increase Gordon’s offer to $10 million a year ($60 million over 6 years, the equivalent to what the Bulls offered Gordon when he was up for extension) the gap increases to $8.11 million. Increase it to $11 million a year ($66 million over 6 years, what Monta Ellis got), then the gap increases to $11.08 million. Increase it to $12 million a year ($72 million over 6 years, basically what Luol Deng got) then the gap increases to $14.05 million.

I don’t think any rational person is saying pay Gordon all the money you can throw at him under the CBA, or even the money Luol Deng got. I think most just want the Bulls to pay whatever it takes to bring Gordon back, no more, no less. If the Bulls just offer Gordon $8 million a year, as K.C. Johnson mentioned, that’s probably not going to get it done. But if the Bulls say offer Gordon $10 million a year, that gap between the Bulls’ offer and the Heat’s offer increases to a respectable amount, such that Gordon might actually take the Bulls offer.

Here is the reality of the situation. The Bulls are not going to get Ben Gordon at some huge discount price. Some other team might get Gordon at a discount price on the MLE, but the Bulls are not going to be the team to get the discount. Why would Gordon re-sign in Chicago, when he could go to a championship contender, and make roughly the same amount after he gets a bit of an increase in his endorsement money? If the Bulls want to keep Ben Gordon, they are going to have to pay him fair value. Personally, I think a $10 million a year deal would be a good starting place, as that’s a fair contract offer to Gordon that gives us a good chance of retaining him. I can only hope the Bulls front office also realized te reality of the situation, and that they don’t try to get him to sign a low contract around $8 million a year as K.C. Johnson proposed, because that just isn’t going to happen.

The Amare Stoudemire trade rumors have split off into three directions, depending on what sources you are looking at.

Done Deal: The Insiders

If you look at insiders, the deal is pretty much done between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Phoenix Stan of the blog Bright Side of the Sun, stated on his blog that Amare would be traded to the Bulls by today, and later confirmed what he wrote earlier in a twitter post.

The notorious Black Jesus of the RealGM forums posted an update, also saying that the trade would be completed today. He says that the Suns are trying to pry away both Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas and that the Suns don’t want Amare to play another game.

Now one thing that should be kept in mind. Phoenix Stan has been proven credible in the past, Black Jesus has not been, so we have no idea about his credibility. But the insiders say done deal.

Talks Heating Up: National Media

If you look at the national media, you will find that the Bulls and Suns have had some talks heating up.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the Bulls are the most likely trading partner and that the Bulls have a standing offer that includes Tyrus Thomas and Drew Gooden on the table.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports! says that the Bulls and Suns had some serious trade discussions on Sunday. The talks centered around Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas. An interesting note, is that Gar Forman has been active in the trade talks.

This comes back to Ken Berger’s blog post on CBS last night, saying that the talks had circled back to the Bulls.

According to the national media, trade talks between the Suns and Bulls are heating up.

Stoudemire Trade Unlikely: Local Media

Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald said as of Sunday afternoon, 60% chance that the Bulls will pass on a Stoudemire deal, but that it’s still a close call. A lot could have changed since Sunday afternoon, and the national media guys probably have more recent information than McGraw used here.

According to some league executives that K.C. Johnson spoke to, a Stoudemire trade to the Bulls is less likely.

Sam Smith made wrote an article saying that the Bulls are probably no longer one of the top teams in the mix. He comes to this conclusion based on the flawed logic that the bigger the expiring contract, the better.

Local media says a Stoudemire trade is looking less likely.

Verdict

In general, the national media breaks big trade news before the local media. The national media’s sources are better for breaking news on big trades. But that doesn’t mean they’re always right.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the talks for the Phoenix Suns have circled back to the Chicago Bulls. Here is what he wrote in his blog:

PHOENIX — As Amare Stoudemire warmed up for the NBA All-Star Game on his home floor Sunday night, the Suns’ efforts to trade him circled back to the Chicago Bulls, three people with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com.

The Suns are discussing financial and basketball trades with several teams, and disagreement within the organization — and in the mind of managing partner Robert Sarver — continues to complicate matters, one of the people said. One faction of the organization views trading Stoudemire as a “giant mistake” that would be difficult to recover from and views the firing of coach Terry Porter as a sufficient move for now. Asssistant Alvin Gentry is expected to take over for Porter Monday.

The Suns’ efforts to find the best deal for Stoudemire have come back to the Bulls partly because of Phoenix’s interest in Tyrus Thomas, one of the people said. The trade likely would have to include at least one of the following — Drew Gooden, whose contract expires after this season, and Larry Hughes, whose deal comes off the books after 2009-10.

If the Suns decide to dump salary and go young, there could be an additional smaller deal that follows any Stoudemire move, one of the people with knowledge of the team’s strategy said. Though several other teams are still in the mix and are being apprised of the progress with Stoudemire, one rival executive familiar with the talks said Portland evidently is no longer an option.

It is good to see Portland completely out of it. If the talks have circled back to the Bulls, that helps to vindicate the blog post from Phoenix Stan earlier today. While this article doesn’t make it seem like things are close to being completed, for the national media to have the trade rumors circling back to Chicago is a good thing.

A K.C. Johnson article suggests that a trade to Chicago is less likely according to two league executives. But he does little elaborate why it is less likely, so it’s hard to read too much into it.

David Aldridge also said in an article on NBA.com that the Bulls offer is the most tangible right now.

We will continue to update you as new information comes available from both local and national media, as well as reputable bloggers.

In today’s Full Court Press blog post by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, there were three John Paxson quotes. Here they are.

* “We’re not very good right now. We’re not playing well enough to win those (close) games in my opinion. I don’t expect any of our guys to sulk. They have to come to practice every day and work. It’s a lot of little things. The turnovers we had throwing the ball away in the backcourt, it’s just concentration and focus. I’m not going to say I’m pleased we’ve been competing better because we want to win. I don’t like where we’re at. I don’t think anybody does.
* Asked how he believes the coaching staff is faring, he said this: “The only person I’ll evaluate right now is myself and I obviously haven’t done the job of putting the type of team that I want to have on the floor in terms of competitiveness and effort. That falls on me. That’s the only person I’m going to critique.”
* “I’m obviously not happy with how we’re playing. I don’t think my expectations were such going into the season that we were going to be a top, top level team. But what I want to see is the team play together. And right now, through 40-plus games, we’re not that. And that concerns me.”

The sulking comment is clearly regarding Larry Hughes, who has received DNP - Coach’s Decisions for the past five games. It also may be directed at Ben Gordon, who has been jerked around once again by the organization with the return of Kirk Hinrich. It seems kind of feeble minded to jerk Gordon around given his role on the team, his contract status, and the fact that the Bulls have played worse since Kirk Hinrich has returned (.333) than before he returned (.432). If the Bulls played better with Ben Gordon in a reduced role, then it would be fine, but the Bulls have managed just to win 33.3% of their games since Hinrich has returned, despite better play out of Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah.

As said by Rosenbloom in his blog post today, this is a dig at Vinny. Paxson has not given a vote of confidence to Vinny, and he will likely be disposed of at the end of the season.

Sounds like the Bulls are going to be active at the deadline too, given the state of the team. Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng are the safe bets for players who will still be around after the deadline.