The Official 2008 Chicago Bulls Off Season Thread: BG Signs 1 Year Deal; No one cares; BASEBALL FTW

8a73df96ff2103dfc19de7391999860c-getty-82057005nsb051_rookie_shoot.jpg


8cf5a5064aa449435c0c5026f3676943-getty-82057005nsb055_rookie_shoot.jpg
glasses.gif
 
EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH on the deng deal. i dont see him as that type of player.

i rather start noah at center then trade for miller and giving up a 1st round pick? NO THANK YOU
 
Sources: Deng, Bulls on verge of six-year, $70M deal
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Derrick Rose was the No. 1 overall pick in last month's NBA draft, but Luol Deng still ranks as the Chicago Bulls' cornerstone player.

That status appeared to be slammed home Tuesday night when NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that Deng and the Bulls, after more than a year of slow-moving negotiations, are suddenly on the verge of completing a new contract that will keep the restricted free agent in Chicago.

With Deng committed to leaving for England by week's end to join Great Britain's national team -- and insisting to the Bulls that he would not negotiate with them further without a deal by Friday -- sources said that the sides have verbally agreed on a new six-year pact believed to be worth in excess of $70 million.

Sources said that Deng's agent, Jason Levien, flew into Chicago to spend Tuesday at the Bulls' offices finalizing the deal, which could be announced as soon as Wednesday.

Given his modest background growing up in the Sudan and Egypt before moving to London, Deng stressed to the Bulls that he was not bluffing when he vowed to play next season on a one-year qualifying offer worth about $4.5 million for the right to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2009.

The Bulls then gradually raised their offer to a higher annual average that Deng turned down in October, when Chicago was limited to offering him a five-year extension and presented the 6-foot-9 forward with a five-year package worth $57.5 million. As ESPN.com reported earlier this month, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf chose to personally handle the bulk of the negotiations with Deng's camp as opposed to the standard practice of Bulls general manager John Paxson serving as lead negotiator.

Deng, 23, couldn't avoid being dragged down by the Bulls' nightmarish 2007-08 season, with Chicago never recovering from the contract extensions that he and teammate Ben Gordon failed to secure in October and smothering speculation about a trade for Kobe Bryant.

The Bulls ultimately netted a 33-49 record that cost coach Scott Skiles and interim replacement Jim Boylan their jobs, while Deng played in just 63 games and averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, down slightly from the numbers in his breakout 2006-07 season (18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 51.7 percent shooting from the floor) when the Bulls went 49-33 and swept the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

But Deng is said to be excited by the Bulls' appointment of rookie coach Vinny Del Negro after Chicago's near-agreements with coaching veterans Mike D'Antoni and Doug Collins. He can now head overseas at week's end with no concerns about the future, having achieved long-term security.

Deng's focus will soon shift to trying to help his new national team qualify for the 2009 European Championships. The versatile forward received a British passport in October 2006 and is central to the restoration of Great Britain's basketball program under American coach Chris Finch. Deng also serves as an official ambassador for the 2012 Olympics to be held in London.

The immediate prospects for Gordon, by contrast, are much harder to gauge. ESPN.com reported earlier this month that there is some sentiment in the Bulls' organization to keep Kirk Hinrich -- a Reinsdorf favorite -- and play him at shooting guard alongside Rose and Deng while attempting to move Gordon via sign-and-trade. Sources said Tuesday that Gordon indeed has been shopped by the Bulls this month in various sign-and-trade scenarios.

Gordon, who also holds a British passport, this week publicly acknowledged that he would consider following the lead of Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Childress by accepting a lucrative offer overseas, although his preference is to stay with the Bulls.

Asked about Deng's vow to break off all talks with the Bulls if a deal wasn't completed in time for him to leave for Team GB, Gordon told the Chicago Sun-Times: "I don't blame him for making that move. At some point in time, you have to be the aggressor. It's kind of like we've been negotiating since last summer. I don't think there's any reason why it should be dragged out this long, and he feels the same."
Click to expand...
 
I think its too much but its good that a deal is in place. Hopefully Gordon is next.....
 
Gordon wants at least Deng money and Deng's contract is low in the first year so the Bulls don't hit the lux tax.

[h1]Forward thinking for Bulls: Deng in[/h1] By K.C. Johnson |Tribune reporter 11:32 PM CDT, July 29, 2008

General manager John Paxson will confirm Wednesday that the Bulls have reached agreement on a six-year deal with restricted free agent Luol Deng.

The deal, first reported by the Tribune and ESPN.com's Marc Stein, is worth a guaranteed $71 million, according to sources. Incentives could push the contract's value to $80 million, sources said.

Deng, 23, rejected a five-year, $57.5 million extension in October and then joined in the season-long funk and malaise that shrouded the Bulls' underwhelming 2007-08 season.
But Deng's career averages of 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 48 percent shooting, not to mention his off-the-court charitable work that has endeared him to Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, made his re-signing one of management's top off-season priorities.

After recent front-loaded contracts signed by Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni, this contract is back-loaded so the first-year salary is the lowest and helps the Bulls remain out of luxury-tax territory, sources said.

That also means about $8 million is left for the Bulls, who are still negotiating with Ben Gordon, to avoid flirting with projected luxury-tax figures for next summer. Reinsdorf has told agents he won't pay the prohibitive luxury tax for a non-championship team.

Gordon, sources said, is seeking a deal that is at least equal to Deng's. That's now impossible unless the Bulls enter luxury-tax territory.

Despite speculation, negotiations always remained professional and cordial between Jason Levien, Deng's representative, and Bulls management.

Reinsdorf handled the numbers, while Gar Forman, the team's director of player personnel, talked often with Levien.

When initial talks revealed the Bulls offering a lower annual average than last off-season's rejected offer, the two sides began focusing on shorter-term deals such as three years, sources said.

But the Tribune reported progress had been made on talks for a six-year deal Friday, when Levien flew to Israel to negotiate some international player contracts.

Deng's camp had made clear the forward wanted a deal in place before his early August commitment to Britain's national team and wouldn't negotiate past his Aug. 4 departure date.

This stance, which included Deng conveying he would sign the Bulls' one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2009, intensified talks.

With teams like Portland projecting to have ample salary-cap space in 2009 and a hole where Deng would fit naturally, plus a feeling the Bulls have had two summers to negotiate, Deng's camp felt justified in emphasizing urgency.

Deng made clear he wanted to remain with the Bulls. His initial meetings with new coach Vinny Del Negro have impressed Deng, and he has told confidants he thinks the wasted 2007-08 season served as an aberration for him and the Bulls.

Levien then flew to Chicago on Tuesday to finalize the deal.

Gordon's situation might not be the last agenda on Paxson's plate.

League sources confirmed the Bulls had engaged in trade talks with the Nets late Monday regarding center Nenad Krstic, who joined the recent trend of players leaving the NBA and signed a two-year deal with Triumph Moscow.

It's unclear precisely what the Bulls offered, although one source said a future first-round pick was dangled.

The Nets long have coveted Nocioni, who could become expendable with Deng's deal imminent.

Paxson has said the Bulls need cost certainty before his next move. Deng's deal is half the battle. If a long-term extension with Gordon isn't reached, a sign-and-trade scenario could develop or Gordon would play on his one-year tender of $6.4 million.
Click to expand...
 
Very happy Deng is close to a deal. I think the deal is a little more than he deserved but oh well, the kid should be back to 19/7 type numbers next year.

I would do the Miller deal in a heartbeat. Nothing like a C that can step out and hit an open jumper. Plus, he is a very good passer. We really do not need 1stround picks because I think this team is going to be in the playoffs next year. I think it is a steal for Miller. The guy is still a double double and shoots80+% from the line.

I think Gordon signs the QO and hits the open market next year. That would be good because it would allow us to see the best BG possible. He is going to belooking for money and will only get it if he shows a lot. That would be the best option for the Bulls. Have a year for Rose to get set while BG is scoring andMiller is on the team and Deng is happy and Kirk is still there and Tyrus and Noah are somewhat productive.
 
I don't know why cats act like BG is garbage and maybe he doesn't deserve Deng money but something close cause without him we don't have anyconsistent offense (last year not included) I really like BG and have since we got him and if somebody has to go I rather it be the hacker that wears #12 eventhough I don't have a real problem with him either (outside of him always having 2 fouls with 10min left in the 1st qtr)
 
Deng got his money, and now it's time for him and the rest of the team to step up. Lu got a huge raise after a terrible season. I wonder how he handles theadded attention. I hope BG re-signs long term. At worst he'll sign the 1 yr. tender.
 
Womp Womp to Reinsdorf giving him that much money...they said Reinsdorf did all the negotiating for the Deng deal...and that Brad Miller deal should getdone...what's a first round pick to this team? They need some more veterans splashed in there.

BG better not get more than what was offered to him last year
 
[h1][/h1]
[h1]Deng, Rose are a start -- now, target D-Wade[/h1]
July 31, 2008

BY JAY MARIOTTI Sun-Times Columnist

Luol Deng wants to save a troubled world. That is a beautiful sentiment, yet for $71 million in guaranteed scratch, I'd prefer a player who can conquer the basketball world. The Bulls had no choice but to sign him, if for no other reason than they have nobody else who scores consistently, which is vital when you've centered your existence around a teen point guard who likes Gummy Bears.

But really now, Deng isn't a star as much as a solid fixture, an ornament who will make a mid-range jumpshot and do amazing work in the community. The "NBA Cares" ad campaign adores him, as does Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who quickly entered the negotiating fray once Deng threatened to opt out and become a lame-duck player next season. It isn't often when a small forward denounces Darfur at a downtown rally, then schools Tayshaun Prince at the United Center. You can't let such a human being escape your organization, especially when your other players blow off practices, get coaches fired, do 106 mph in a Land Rover and might be carrying a cup full of Hennessy cognac down a city street at 2 a.m.

» Click to enlarge image
[img]http://media1.suntimes.com/mul...0730_19_38_18_2019-116-165.imageContent[/img]
John Paxson is the Bulls General Manager.
(Sun-Times file)

RELATED STORIES
Deng's deal: $71 million Pax: Deng deal is done Inside the Bulls: Updates from our blog

What you need to grasp, though, is that a team with Deng, Derrick Ros e and a hodgepodge of wayward talent isn't guaranteed a postseason spot anytime soon, particularly when the next regular-season game Vinny Del Negro coaches will be his first. No, the Bulls are close enough to a watershed summer in NBA free agency that they must focus on it. Twenty-three months may seem a long time, but it isn't, not when Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh become free agents in July 2010 and other franchises already are plotting to sign them. James probably is bound for New York, where he'll either join the restructured Knicks or his soul brother, Jay-Z, with a New Jersey team headed to Brooklyn. Bosh will flee Toronto and look at Orlando and Western Conference teams.

And Wade? Which town is he from again? Where did he recently purchase a church called the Temple of Praise for his mother, a former inmate who used and sold drugs and now has her life together? Where did he spent part of his summer, rehabilitating his surgically repaired left knee and hanging out in gyms and restaurants? And that TV ad where he pulls up in a $50,000 SUV at an inner-city playground filled with kids?

"Hey, what's up? I can use some help," he says, removing the apparatus for a basketball hoop from the vehicle and erecting it on the spot.

Yep, the commercial was filmed on the South Side of Wade's hometown, Chicago, where he unloads an avalanche of basketballs from the backseat, flips the SUV keys to a c oach and takes off up a hill on a bicycle. "My dream," Wade says, "is to leave the world a better place than I found it."

Does that sound like a guy whose body might be in Miami but whose heart and soul still are in Chicago? Depending on how the Heat perform the next two seasons with the player the Bulls didn't draft, forward Michael Beasley, Wade is capable moving on and signing elsewhere. If so, the Bulls would be as viable a destination as anywhere, particularly if Rose and Deng develop a bond and some of the other dopes grow up and start reaching their potential. Whenever he is asked about the future, Wade never commits fully to finishing his career on South Beach, a signal he'll have Fave Five openings on his cell phone.

"A lot can happen in the next two years," Wade said a few days ago.

The Bulls should interpret that as an invitation. With Rose on his rookie deal and Deng the only contracted player approaching a maximum level, Reinsdorf and general manager John Paxson should begin the complex process of clearing out cap space so they can pursue Wade in earnest. Assuming he recovers fully from his knee surgery -- and knowing his mental and physical toughness, he'll be good as new, beginning in the Beijing Olympics -- this is a scorer and leader who would maximize Rose's ballhandling talents and allow Deng to be a second-option scorer and eventual lockdown defender. Advance planning forces diff icult decisions, of course.

Meaning, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich must be among the purged.

Like Deng, Gordon was distracted last season after rejecting a $50 million extension offer deemed lowballish. Unlike Deng, who still managed glimpses of quality play, Gordon regressed considerably. He never has played defense, and now, you suspect his offensive production is too erratic to warrant $50 million, much less than larger deal he wants. As it is, Reinsdorf fell in love with Hinrich and got burned by a five-year, $47 million extension. Both have their charms -- Hinrich hustles and plays defense, Gordon can be a dangerous gunner when his head is right -- but they don't fit into the team's new evolution. Hinrich should be traded, even if Reinsdorf is dragged with him to the airport.

And Gordon? If he'd like to sign with a European team, as he suggested Monday, that might be his best opportunity to command big money. In the wake of Josh Childress' signing with a Greek powerhouse, middle-of-the-road players should look at the Euroadvantages -- some teams pay for a player's taxes, housing, cars, even a live-in maid (hold your punchlines) -- and consider better deals overseas. I was impressed when Gordon knew how the weakening American dollar stacks against the Euro these days. Time to fly?

"Definitely, it's a possibility, now with the Euro being so strong," Gordon told the media. "Josh did i t. It just depends on what the individual wants and what he can put up with. It's definitely something that seems interesting. But ideally, I'd like to be here playing in the States for the team that drafted me."

There are too many guards on the roster to accommodate a high-priced Gordon, even with his 18.6-point average that is padded by occasional huge games. A sign-and-trade deal makes sense for the Bulls and Gordon, but that assumes other clubs have high interest in him. If management was choosing between Deng and Gordon, Ben is the loser in a game finalized by Deng's Aug. 4 ultimatum. "I don't blame him for making that move," Gordon said of Deng's posturing. "At some point in time, you have to be the aggressor. It's kind of like we've been negotiating since last summer. I don't think there's any reason why it should be dragged out this long, and he feels the same."

True, if Reinsdorf and Paxson had been a bit more generous last summer, maybe Deng and Gordon would have had better seasons and the Bulls would have reached the playoffs again. Instead, the duo rejected the offers, wigged out over the Kobe Bryant trade rumors and never recovered in a dreadful season in which Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan were fired. That is an old story.

The new story revolves around Rose and Deng. In two years, the Bulls will need a superstar to complete the latest rebuilding plan. His name is D-Wade.

"Yes, it is," as he says in the commercial, based in Chicago USA.



and jameson curry was waived today...

[h3]Bulls have talked to Heat, Suns and Hornets about Gordon[/h3]
Ben Gordon needs to decide between basically four different options. The first is for the Bulls to sign-and-trade Gordon, which is a definite possibility. GM John Paxson has recently had disscussion with multiple teams. The Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Hornets are the most recent teams trying to work out a sign-and trade for Gordon. The second option for Gordon is to sign the qualifying offer sheet, play out one more year and become an un-resricted free agent. If the Bulls cannot swing a trade, look for this to most likely happen. The third option would be for Gordon to sign an extension for less money than what he feels hes worth. This likely will not happen unless Gordon suddenly has a change of heart and realizes what the Bulls are offering is actually a pretty fair deal. The last option for Gordon is to leave for Europe, which is the least likely of them all. Gordon has mainly mentioned Europe to hopefully grab the Bulls attention.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Restricted free-agent G Ben Gordon says he has tried to maintain patience through a second summer of difficult contract negotiations with the Bulls. He says he knows Chicago has spoken with at least two teams about sign-and-trade options, but nothing has come of the discussions. No matter what happens, Gordon would like the chance to start--but it's not a deal-breaker if a new team asks him to be a sixth man. "It's important, but it's not that important," Gordon says. "I have been coming off the bench and sharing both roles pretty much throughout my whole career in Chicago. I have learned that the most important part is finishing the game, and I have been on the floor at the end of games. The decision now is more about doing the right thing for me and my family than about starting."
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=442055

I've always wanted him to be a starter.
Click to expand...
 
BG is my boy and right now i just want all of this to be over with. No matter what happens im just ready for it to be over with, even if it means hes no longerin chicago.
 
I am more than willing to watch BG bounce. Never been a fan. I think he has become way to happy settling for jumpers instead of taking it to the hole. Hisrunning floater in the lane was something special in his first coupla years but seems to have not been used as much lately.
 
OUR offense is going to open up a bit this year I would think with the addition of Rose. With him on the floor I'm thinking that will open things up forDeng and Gordon, hopefully they won't have to try to create for themselves so much.

It's not that I don't like Hinrich but I can't count how many times he would push the ball up the court get to the rim and run right under itaround the baseline and back out to try to set something up. I think with Rose we have a guy that if he gets that close he'll finish it himself... whichwill cause the Defense to slide in a bit which will open the parameter game up for a quick kick out for 18 footers (Deng) or 3 balls (Gordon).

I don't want Gordon to be gone specially if we end up with a nothing in return. At the same time he's not worth 70 Million like Deng... not even sureDeng is worth 70 Million and I really like Deng.

Gordon been in the League long enough for the Bulls to not fork out cash on the potential of him turning some corner into SUPER STARDOME! Dude is always goingto be a nice sixth man or decent starter... but his jersey won't be hanging in the rafters when his career is done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest News

View All News

The ultimate sneaker enthusiast community.

Site contents may not be incorporated into AI training data or any other derivative works without prior express written consent.

Links to participating merchants may generate referral or affiliate commissions that help support our community. See our policies for details. NikeTalk is NOT affiliated with Nike Inc. in any way, shape, or form. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc.

© 1999-2024 NikeTalk.com

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom