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Thursday, April 11, 2013
Bulls likely to wait till 2014 for Mirotic
By Staff
Nikola Mirotic has drawn some favorable comparisons to other foreign-born NBA stars.
Chicago Bulls fans eager for Nikola Mirotic to join the team that drafted him with the 24th pick in 2011 will likely have to wait until the summer of 2014, general manager Gar Forman explained.
"You're slotted in the first round, and I think the slot for No. 24 is $1.3 or $1.4 million," Forman said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "Well, he makes a lot more money than that right now over at Real Madrid. So the way the CBA is written is after three years then you're no longer slotted. Then you can use whether it's exception room or cap room in order to pay a guy.
"So there's no possibility this summer because next year will be his third year. But after next year, the summer of 2014, then we'll be able to start some negotiations as far as a buyout possibly with Real Madrid or negotiate with him to come over here."
The 6-10 forward has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki and Danilo Gallinari.
"He reminds me of Dirk and a little bit of Gallo, just a little bit," said Memphis center Zach Randolph, who played against Mirotic in an exhibition game. "But I can see the Dirk comparisons. I can see why, definitely."
Some thought Mirotic could play small forward, but Forman said he'll be a power forward.
"We're really, really excited about him," Forman said. "We built a relationship with him, we're in constant communication. John (Paxson) and I went up and saw him this fall when he played at Memphis and at Toronto in a couple NBA exhibitions, and we think the ceiling there is incredible.
"He's probably a four, but he's very, very skilled. He shoots it from 3, can handle it, good mobility. And he's a tough, tough kid."
Forman said Mirotic is about to win the Euroleague's Rising Star Award for the third time.
"Nobody has ever won it more than once, and some of the guys who have won it are the foreign guys who have come over, Rudy Fernandez, Nowitzki, Toni Kukoc and all those guys won it," he said. "He's going to win it for a third time, which is impressive."
Bulls likely to wait till 2014 for Mirotic
By Staff
Nikola Mirotic has drawn some favorable comparisons to other foreign-born NBA stars.
Chicago Bulls fans eager for Nikola Mirotic to join the team that drafted him with the 24th pick in 2011 will likely have to wait until the summer of 2014, general manager Gar Forman explained.
"You're slotted in the first round, and I think the slot for No. 24 is $1.3 or $1.4 million," Forman said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "Well, he makes a lot more money than that right now over at Real Madrid. So the way the CBA is written is after three years then you're no longer slotted. Then you can use whether it's exception room or cap room in order to pay a guy.
"So there's no possibility this summer because next year will be his third year. But after next year, the summer of 2014, then we'll be able to start some negotiations as far as a buyout possibly with Real Madrid or negotiate with him to come over here."
The 6-10 forward has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki and Danilo Gallinari.
"He reminds me of Dirk and a little bit of Gallo, just a little bit," said Memphis center Zach Randolph, who played against Mirotic in an exhibition game. "But I can see the Dirk comparisons. I can see why, definitely."
Some thought Mirotic could play small forward, but Forman said he'll be a power forward.
"We're really, really excited about him," Forman said. "We built a relationship with him, we're in constant communication. John (Paxson) and I went up and saw him this fall when he played at Memphis and at Toronto in a couple NBA exhibitions, and we think the ceiling there is incredible.
"He's probably a four, but he's very, very skilled. He shoots it from 3, can handle it, good mobility. And he's a tough, tough kid."
Forman said Mirotic is about to win the Euroleague's Rising Star Award for the third time.
"Nobody has ever won it more than once, and some of the guys who have won it are the foreign guys who have come over, Rudy Fernandez, Nowitzki, Toni Kukoc and all those guys won it," he said. "He's going to win it for a third time, which is impressive."
