SB Nation - Derrick Byars

Turnover at the Top

Jon L — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:44 -0000

Chris Hunter is one of only a few of last season's D-League leaders coming back to the league.

I've made a few oblique references this offseason to all of the D-League three-point shooters who will be playing overseas this year, and it's true that there will be some unfamiliar faces jacking up perimeter shots next month. But it's actually even more remarkable than I thought. Heres is the list of last year's D-League award winners:

MVP - Courtney Sims
Defensive POY - Brent Petway
Impact POY - Eddie Gill
Rookie of the Year - Othyus Jeffers
Coach of the Year - Quin Snyder
Sportsmanship Award - Will Conroy

Notice anything? With the exception of perhaps Sims, all of the players listed above are playing overseas (and RU's Coach of the Year pick, Bryan Gates, is in the NBA now). True, one of them could come back midseason (and be in the running for the Impact award), but those are still some relatively big names missing. It gets even more drastic than that. Here are the All D-League teams:

First: Blake Ahearn, Will Conroy, Erik Daniels, Courtney Sims, Marcus Williams

I expect Williams to join back up with the Toros, and we're still waiting to see what Sims will do, but Ahearn, Conroy and Daniels are all overseas now.

Second: Derrick Byars, Josh Davis, Chris Hunter, Trey Johnson, James White

Hunter's back in Fort Wayne, but Byars - gone; Davis - gone; Johnson - gone; White - gone.

Third: Lance Allred, Ronald Dupree, Eddie Gill, Dontell Jefferson, Cartier Martin

Jefferson is back with Utah but I would expect a call-up for him at some point this season (the defense is too good). Otherwise, they're all in Europe and elsewhere. And while I won't bother listing all of the honorable mentions, by my count less than half of them are with the D-League again this year.

So what's the point of this? Change, and lots of it. Sure it will be disappointing not to see these talented players, but I prefer to see it as a crisi-tunity. With training camps underway and the regular season starting in just two weeks, a lot of players will have a chance to make their mark on the D-League. Some of them we can probably guess - expect Marcus Williams to tear it up again until he gets called up, Garrett Siler should be one of the best big men in the league and Carlos Powell and Anthony Tolliver should both fill up the box scores. But just as likely is that we can't predict right now who's going to make those 2009-2010 All-D-League teams. It could be someone like Amara Sy, who started his career off promisingly in Europe; or Reggie Williams, who was a smart, crafty scorer in college; heck, it could even be Yaroslav Korolev (it probably won't be Yaroslav Korolev).

All this turnover at the top of the league, talent-wise, is both likely a little daunting for the league and a pretty exciting development for D-League watchers. Teams are busy right now sorting out who can play and who can't, then it will be our turn.

Ridiculous Transactions: 11/2 - 11/8

Jon L — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:15:18 -0000

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

Derrick Byars is taking his shot (and the rest of his game) to Germany.

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Now that all the draft hubbub has died down a little bit, it's time once again for the weekly transactions report. Not much this week, as a lot of guys were likely waiting to see if/where they'd get drafted by the D-League before looking at signing overseas or elsewhere.

November 3: Derrick Byars - signed with Alba Berlin (Germany) Richard Roby - signed with Maccabi Haifa (Israel); Goran Suton - signed with Spartak SPB (Russia)

None of these guys were in the draft pool, of course, but for slightly different reasons. Roby is an Israeli league vet, and he was the University of Colorado's leading scorer in college. He likely would've been a high pick in the D-League draft had he chosen that route, but he fits the Euro-ball profile. Roby went to Summer League with Oklahoma City, but didn't play a whole lot. Suton also likely would've been a high pick given his NBA draft-ee status, but as a center with a mid-range game Europe is a good fit for him as well. He had a somewhat up-and-down Summer League for Utah, and the Jazz already have a passel of big men so his being cut wasn't a huge surprise. Suton's deal is reportedly for three years, so we probably won't be seeing him for awhile. Byars wasn't available to be drafted because he actually made an NBA roster. I thought he played reasonably well for the Bulls during the preseason, but they cut him one day into the regular season. Partially guaranteed vs. fully guaranteed contracts, etc. Byars chose the Europe route rather than diving into the D-League player pool (sorry) because he's 25 years old, which isn't that old for an NBA player, but he's been out of college for several years now and Chicago was the best NBA opportunity he had. Since that didn't work out, he chose the larger paycheck instead of waiting around for a potential call-up. I do wonder if we'll see Byars in the D-League in the future or if it's Europe from here on out, where truth be told he should do very well.

November 4: Robert "Tractor" Traylor - signed with Martos Napoli (Italy)

Were you aware that Traylor was still playing basketball? Because I wasn't. Now that he's playing in Italy (he was in Turkey) he'll get all the carbs he can handle.

November 5: Chris Ellis - signed with Union Atletica (Uruguay)

Ellis spent the bulk of his D-League career in Tulsa, although he split last season between the 66ers and Sioux Falls. He never put up a great shooting percentage as a 6'9" power forward but he's a decent rebounder. Come to think of it, I don't recall him being on any Summer League or preseason rosters. The only offseason action he's had was participating in the NBA Asia Challenge, which raises the question of why it's taken him so long to sign an overseas deal, since the NBA clearly wasn't calling.

November 6: Memphis Grizzlies - waived Trey Gilder

I became engaged in a Twitter discussion with Mark Deeks from ShamSports about Gilder's being waived, and as you'd imagine I made my standard points about Gilder being cheaper than players that Memphis isn't playing and who are terrible, like Steven Hunter or Marko Jaric. Deeks made the competing (valid) point that waiving Gilder is a money-saving move in itself because he wasn't even on the active roster. At the heart of our 140-word discussion was a disagreement over whether Gilder can play in the NBA. I obviously believe he can, and as quoted in that profile, so does his 14ers coach and former NBA scout Bob MacKinnon (and I realize a coach isn't going to badmouth his player, but coaches also don't just offer up the phrase "NBA prospect" all the time). Deeks noted that Gilder was a sixth man in Colorado, but he actually started about a dozen games, and he was behind players like James Mays and Josh Davis on the depth chart, so I don't think there should be any knock on him there, particularly since undebatably-NBA-level-talented Sonny Weems also came off the bench for that team at times. Gilder isn't perfect as a player, of course, and I think he'd do well to come back to the D-League this season where he'd be more accessible to NBA scouts, and work on building up some muscle and maybe a mid-range game. I don't think he's very far from making another NBA roster, though.

Sniffle World Mourns as Derrick Byars is Cut by Bulls Sniffle

James Dalton Swayze — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:12:45 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Quit with the fake smile, Derrick. You knew it was too good to be true.

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Derrick Byars, loved by many, known by few, was cut by the Chicago Bulls today.

Yes, the Bakersfield Jam already sent out a press release that stated he and Patrick O'Bryant, proud alumni of the Jam, had already secured spots on NBA teams for the 2009-10 NBA season.

Yes, some dude named Mark Deeks said Byars is pretty good and that Byars should make the Bulls.

Yes, he was cut even though the same team employs Lindsay Hunter and Jerome James.

~~Tomorrow, my friends, we shall cheer against the Bulls and for the~~ ~~Spurs~~.

Wait, they cut Marcus Williams.

I can't wait until the D-League season, when these guys will get the playing time they deserve.

And, hopefully, by then the tears will be gone and paragraphs will include multiple sentences.

Poll

Is this fair?

Shouldn't be.

12 votes

No.

54 votes

How rude!

19 votes

Yes. Bulls brass always seems to know what they're doing.

17 votes

102 votes | Poll has closed

Waive Goodbye, Part 2

Jon L — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Go ahead and smile, Derrick Byars. You made the team. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Today we continue our look at the players waived or, occasionally, kept by NBA teams as the regular season begins. Next up we move into the middle of the country, or as I like to call it, "America's already-bloated snackhole." (I can say that because I live there.) That's right, it's the Central and Southwest Divisions. (Except that I was looking at the wrong division list when I wrote this and it's actually the Northwest Division. Deal with it, America.) And if you're just tuning in, don't forget to check out part 1.

Chicago Bulls

Who got cut: Curtis Stinson, Chris Richard, Steven Hill

Who got kept: Derrick Byars

Forget Stinson and Hill, this really came down to Byars vs. Richard for the last roster spot. And with all due respect to Richard, they made the right call. Richard played okay, although he averaged less than seven points per 36 minutes, and given that the team that already sports Joakim Noah in the frontcourt they really probably can't handle yet another guy who can't produce on offense. Not that Richard unequivocally can't, he just didn't demonstrate that sort of ability in the preseason, which is when he needed to demonstrate it. Byars helps the team in case Deng gets hurt again, or if John Salmons starts creaking (he turns 30 later this year). I won't discuss Byars in great detail here, because you can read this. It probably makes up for the Bulls cutting DeMarcus Nelson, maybe. Stinson and Hill are both probably headed to Europe, though I could see Stinson sticking around the D-League.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Who got cut: Luke Nevill, Andre Barrett, Russell Robinson, Rob Kurz, Darryl Watkins

Who got kept: Coby Karl

See Marge? These guys get it. Karl actually didn't play particularly well in the preseason, but he had a pretty good Summer League with Denver, and he's definitely talented. He's a nice multi-faceted player who can shoot (and make) threes, help distribute the ball, pick up some steals and rebound a little bit. So in other words he's exactly the right kind of guard for Cleveland. He's also worked damn hard, and he deserves another shot at the NBA. It never feels good to get cut (I'm assuming), but it's probably especially hard for Rob Kurz, who was starting for the Warriors just last season. He'd definitely be a prime call-up candidate should he go to the D-League, as he's a 6'9" guy who can make threes, although he could stand to pick up his rebounding and defense. He also profiles well as a Euroleague guy, so he could end up there. Russell Robinson also could pick either option. He played pretty poorly both in Summer League and the preseason, with turnovers being the major problem. Another stint in the D-League could help that, as he averaged just two and a half per 36 minutes for Reno last season. I'll mention again that I haven't been including Jawad Williams in this discussion because he was signed at the end of last season and has a partially-guaranteed deal, so while he theoretically could be waived later on, the team has been somewhat more committed to him than these other guys. I'm somewhat optimistic about Williams's playing time, since at this point he's more capable than J.J. Hickson or Darnell Jackson, but Leon Powe and maybe Jamario Moon are around to take most of the backup forward minutes.

Denver Nuggets

Who got cut: James White, Kurt Looby, Keith Brumbaugh, Dontaye Draper

Who got kept: Joey Graham

Massive disappointment here, although there's nothing personal against Graham. There was just so much hope that this would be White's year in Houston, then the team decided it wouldn't be, then Denver decided it wouldn't be his year for them, either. Looby getting cut isn't a huge surprise, as he's still carpaccio-raw. But, White getting the boot on top of Sonny Weems being sent away is enough to make one question Denver's commitment to ~~Sparkle Motion~~ the D-League. That would be rash, of course, and unfair to Denver who is clearly trying to win soon. Graham's per-36 numbers are almost identical to White's NBA figures, but I guess there's still too much uncertainty over what White can do when there really shouldn't be. He's headed over to Europe now, I assume, since he's said he's done with the D-League, and who can blame him. If an NBA team says they're committed to your development, then semi-promptly gets rid of you, that would be disheartening for anyone.

Detroit Pistons

Who got cut: Maceo Baston

Who got kept: No one.

Sorry, Maceo. Have fun at your House Party. (Admit it, that's not the clip you were expecting.) (Also, note to self: when you get older, shave your head but leave the sideburns and add a mustache.) But hey, here's a crazy idea; the Pistons also waived their second round pick Deron Washington, who's a 6'7" small forward. James White is a 6'7" small forward. WHAT IF THEY'RE ABOUT TO SIGN JAMES WHITE? They're probably not, but they should be. While Austin Daye looked really, really good in Summer League, and Jonas Jerebko could be pretty good, it seems a bit crazy to rely on three rookies (remember DaJuan Summers) as key bench contributors, rebuilding or no rebuilding. And while James White doesn't have that much more NBA experience, he's been around for a few years and he can contribute. Come on, Joe Dumars. LET'S DO THIS.

Indiana Pacers

Who got cut: Rod Benson, Demetris Nichols, Lawrence Roberts

Who got kept: No one.

Rod Benson is probably going back to Europe this year, even though he didn't have the best experience there last season (although being injured didn't help). I'd guess Nichols goes the same route, and both of them are good enough to play in the NBA right now. (Roberts is already over there.) As for the biggest question, whether we'll seee a return of Boom Tho-ness, I have no idea. Personally I wouldn't expect too much except maybe a continuation of his posts over at Ball Don't Lie. If this website were FreeDarko I'd probably launch into a discussion about whether this year's return to (or first crack at) seriousness for Benson and Gilbert Arenas reflects some kind of "down to business" vibe given off by the Obama Administration, but I have neither the time nor the ability to get into that right now. Or who knows, maybe Benson could write a book that would probably be better than Paul Shirley's (which I haven't read, but Benson's a better writer than Shirley so it's pretty much a lock.)

Milwaukee Bucks

Who got cut: Marcus Hubbard, Mark Tyndale, Charles Gaines, Dominic James

Who got kept: No one.

This was bound to happen eventually, but I don't really have much to say about these guys. Hubbard could do with another season or two in the D-League and work on either a.) becoming a proper interior player, or b.) shooting better than .256 on his three-pointers. Because this in-between thing isn't working. Gaines played well for Austin last season, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, and shot a good percentage with Maccabi Tel Aviv. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this season, but I'm not sure he's close enough to a call-up to make it worth his time. Let's see, what else can I talk about with these guys...uh hey, I think Ersan Ilyasova can be pretty good, but that's not really under the purview of this series. Three or four players likely going over to Europe. Whee.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Who got cut: Jack McClinton, Alonzo Gee, Jared Reiner, Devin Green, Mustafa Shakur

Who got kept: Jason Hart

I don't have much to say about Jason Hart since he's 31 years old now and last played in the D-League eight years ago. This is probably a stale comment by now, and the team waived Antonio Daniels so they haven't gone completely crazy, but what's the deal with Minnesota and point guards? Who are these people? Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one? I've already written about this, but whatever NBA team ends up with McClinton (and there will be one, eventually) is going to love having him, and kick themselves for not having him earlier. Reiner got a raw deal by getting cut right before the game in his hometown, sure. But Nate Jawai is in Minnesota now, and that's something, right? It's at least as much a something as Oleksiy Pecherov being there, certainly.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Who got cut: Michael Ruffin, Tre Kelley, Mike Harris

Who got kept: Ryan Bowen

I saw Kelley play a little bit, and he looked pretty good. He's very quick, and he can get to the basket. Of course, he was being guarded by Curtis Jerrells at that point so take it with a grain of bacon salt. He's almost certainly headed to Europe. Michael Ruffin, eh. I have a sort of personal animus against him through no fault of his, since Eddie Jordan overused him when they were both with the Washington Wizards, but he's already landed on his feet overseas. The question of what Bowen can give the team at this point in his career is a good one, as he's 34 years old and has been pretty inconsistent the last few seasons. I just have to keep telling myself that the Thunder still have D.J. White and Serge Ibaka, and be content with that.

Portland Trail Blazers

Who got cut: Ime Udoka, Jarron Collins, Donell Taylor, Quinton Hosley

Who got kept: No one.

I wonder what will happen to Udoka, as he's probably still good enough to contribute at the back of someone's rotation, but he's also 32 years old and most of the teams that would be interested in him are already full up. He's a solid candidate for a mid-season replacement in case some small forward somewhere gets hurt. He can shoot the three a bit, his rebounding has improved the past few years and he doesn't turn the ball over much.

What, you want me to talk about Jarron Collins?

Utah Jazz

Who got cut: Ronald Dupree, Alexander Johnson, Paul Harris, Spencer Nelson

Who got kept: No one.

Wes Matthews and draft pick Goran Suton aren't really included in this, but in the interest of full disclosure Matthews is in and Suton is out. Suton would be a solid big man in the D-League should he decide to go that route. You're probably expecting me to express disappointment at Dupree being waived, but the fact is that he didn't play well in the preseason. At all. Well, I suppose that's not completely true as he averaged about ten points per 36 minutes, but he's capable of much more than that, and he didn't really contribute much in the way of rebounds, assists or steals. He's really only had one good game, though, against the Clippers when he shot 4-7 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line, and in the rest he shot 5-13 overall. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this year, and maybe if he plays his normal solid, slashing game he'll restore some of his call-up-ability.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

2 months ago: Houston Rockets guard Will Conroy, center, is drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers center Solomon Jones (44) and guard T.J. Ford during the third quarter of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indianapolis, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. Indiana won 119-104. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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I know this isn't every game from last night, but not every team has former D-Leaguers on their roster (at least not anymore - thanks a lot, Knicks), and there were some teams that have just one guy who didn't play well. While I'm perfectly willing to call guys out who struggle (as you'll see below), I just don't see the point of making that the only thing I talk about with a particular game.

Indiana Pacers 119, Houston Rockets 104

Will Conroy and Romel Beck finally got in the game for Houston after spending the last few games on the bench. Conroy didn't have the best shooting night, 2-8 overall and 2-3 on three-pointers (which is good, but 0-5 on two-pointers is not), but he made eight of his 10 free throws, picked up nine assists and five rebounds in 26 and a half minutes, and best of all he had only one assist. Fantastic all-around game (aside from the missed two-pointers). Beck didn't shoot the ball particularly well either, with nine points on seven shots, but with Beck you don't get much in the non-scoring categories. Two offensive rebounds and, well, that's it, in 16 and a half minutes. Pops Mensah-Bonsu followed up his fantastic game on Thursday with nine rebounds (six offensive) and four blocks in 20 and a half minutes. But remember when I said he had a problem with scoring efficiency? Yeah, he needed eight shots to get four points. I'm guessing a lot of those offensive rebounds were off his own misses.

San Antonio Spurs 105, Cleveland Cavaliers 98

Rob Kurz hasn't played much this preseason and hasn't shown much when he has, but he played well last night, scoring 10 points on 4-6 shooting and three rebounds. Oh, he also fouled out in a little over 15 minutes. Well there goes that. Ian Mahinmi ran into some foul trouble of his own, picking up five in 11 and a half minutes. Coby Karl shot the ball pretty terribly, 1-7 overall and missing all six of his three-pointers. He's versatile enough to contribute in other areas when his shot isn't falling, but he didn't really do that either, collecting a pair of assists and one rebound. Russell Robinson shot the ball well, 3-5 from the field and 4-4 from the line, but he also paired his three assists with two turnovers. Malik Hairston did a good job of getting to the free throw line, where he made all five of his shots and was able to finish with 11 points on six shots

Chicago Bulls 94, Minnesota Timberwolves 90

Derrick Byars got a fair amount of playing time in this one, 19 and a half minutes, but he needed five shots to get five points, and while he had three rebounds and a steal, he also had three fouls and a turnover. I'd really like to see Byars make this team, but his performance hasn't been as eye-popping as it probably needs to be.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:11 -0000

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

2 months ago: Chicago Bulls' Chris Richard (32) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves' Oleksiy Pecherov (4) as Kevin Love (42) watches on during the second quarter of a NBA basketball game at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 99-94. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

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Fair warning, the format of this thing may change a few times as I figure out how I want to write it. But for now, let's take a look at some former or future D-Leaguers/European players who played well (and in some cases not so well) last night on a game-by-game basis.

Phoenix Suns 110, Portland 104

The only "our guy" who played in this game was Carlos Powell, and he did very well. Starting and playing just over 22 minutes, Powell finished with 12 points on six shots, including 2-3 from long range, and three rebounds, along with zero turnovers and only one foul. The main thing holding him back so far has been his attitude rather than his talent, so if he keeps this up (including the improved outside shooting) either the Suns or some other team will take notice.

Washington Wizards 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 104

Jawad Williams hasn't had the best preseason so far, but he had a solid game last night for Cleveland. Getting the start in LeBron James's absence, Williams put up in 21 points on 12 shots, shot 4-6 on three-pointers and 5-7 on free throws, and grabbed five rebounds and passed out a pair of assists as well. Hey Cleveland, if you're really serious about making sure you have bench scoring, keep this guy around. The other standout of sorts for the Cavs was Andre Barrett, who outplayed his competition (Russell Robinson) by collecting eight assists in a little over 26 minutes and grabbing three rebounds, though he did need nine shots to score eight points. Paul Davis played just under nine minutes in this game, and while Mike Prada from BulletsForever may have a soft spot for the guy, I just don't see it. 0-2 shooting, one rebound, one assist, one block and one turnover...what am I missing? Luke Nevill, on the other hand, actually scored with four points in just under nine minutes, and he at least picked up three rebounds. 12-per-36 is a lot better than 4-per-36.

Boston Celtics 106, Toronto Raptors 90

Sonny Weems came back to earth a little bit, with 12 points on 10 shots and three turnovers, but he is banged up a little bit, and he's still getting a fair amount of playing time, which is encouraging. Holly MacKenzie thinks the team will find a place for him, and quotes Chris Bosh as saying

"if we continue to work with him and get him polished, I think he'll really help us out."

The J.R. Giddens Rebounding Machine is still working, with four in 13 and a half minutes, though he's still having a hard time scoring the ball. Lester Hudson wasn't, though, with 12 points on seven shots in the same amount of playing time as Giddens, and he picked up a pair of steals and a pair of rebounds as well. If Boston could just put those two together they might have something.

Oklahoma City 96, Miami Heat 91

I'm only mentioning Carlos Arroyo because Erik Spoelstra decided to sit both John Lucas and Chris Quinn to see what the team's newest point guard candidate can do, and he responded with, well, zero points, three rebounds, two assists, a turnover and four fouls in 16 minutes. Just stick with Lucas. Both Shaun Livingston and Kyle Weaver struggled a little bit for the Thunder, combining for five points, all of which came at the free-throw line. Weaver's calling card is his defense anyway, but he certainly hasn't been helping matters with his shooting so far.

LA Clippers 93, San Antonio Spurs 90

DeJuan Blair has been making Ian Mahinmi's job tougher by grabbing most of the rebounds in sight, but Mahinmi still managed to pull five down in 19 minutes, along with seven points on four shots and only one turnover. Speaking of turnovers (you see what I did there), Marcus Williams has struggled with them so far this preseason (and to a certain extent in Austin last season), and he had three last night in 18 minutes, which spoiled an otherwise solid night, 11 points on 4-8 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. Much better was Malik Hairston, who got the start and played 23 minutes, and finished with nine points on five shots, five assists and two steals. The assists are a nice bonus from him, as he's a decent passer but not a prolific one.

Chicago Bulls 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 94

The story of this game is Chris Richard, who led all scorers with 17 points on nine shots, made seven of his nine free throws and added 13 rebounds and two blocks, both of which also were game highs. Minnesota was the team that initially cut him, so there was probably some extra motivation (he's played pretty poorly so far), but maybe he can at least trick the Bulls into keeping him on, then show them that while he's not usually that spectacular, he's at least pretty solid. Mark from Sham Sports and Chicago Bulls Confidential is still skeptical that'll happen, though. Derrick Byars had a nice little game, with five points on three shots, three rebounds and a block in a little over 15 minutes.

Atlanta Hawks 111, Memphis Grizzlies 96

Like Jawad Williams and Chris Richard, Courtney Sims broke out last night after a rough preseason, scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 13 minutes and blocking two shots. He only had three rebounds and added two turnovers, but he was one of the more talented players in the D-League last season and several NBA teams are known admirers, so anything he can do to help his case at this point would, well, help. Hamed Haddadi had three rebounds in six minutes, because that's what he does. And not really anything else.

Who are the Bulls camp free agents, and should we care?

your friendly BullsBlogger — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:53:14 -0000

With the Bulls going into camp with only 13 guaranteed contracts (as did most NBA teams, though none quite as profitable), and with a few minor injuries already popping up, the unsigned FAs on the roster may be more important than originally planned.

And 'important' could merely mean 'get through these mandatory preseason games', though with Aaron Gray out for 6 weeks, and Lindsey Hunter really only signed to be a high-paid assistant, someone could actually make the team.

SBNation brother site Ridiculous Upside recently went over the Bulls camp-invitees, so here is some more background on each:

Derrick Byars - Byars got a full-length profile earlier this offseason, so I'll just touch on a few highlights: he was a very smart and skilled college player, but since then has mostly spent time in Europe and the D-League in addition to getting a few preseason NBA looks. He doesn't rebound or get to the free-throw line consistently, and he's not the quickest guy, but he can definitely score and he's a decent passer for a swingman, and he generally makes smart decisions. Byars averaged just under 17 points per 36 minutes in Bakersfield last year, and he shot just over 38 percent on three-pointers. He also does a pretty good job of staying out of foul trouble. I think Chicago would do well to sign Byars, in part because Luol Deng's health is still somewhat tenuous, and because he would give them another bench scoring option on nights when Jannero Pargo's shot isn't falling. I'm not confident that will happen, and Byars isn't really the type of guy you bring in when you're trying to emphasize defense (though what team isn't at this time of year), but I think it would be a solid fit.

Chris Richard - I tend to get him confused with Chris Hunter, but Chris Richard injured his back last year and was released by Tulsa before the all-star break. He was solid if unspectacular when he played, though, averaging about 14 points and nine and a half rebounds per 36 minutes. Those numbers are an improvement on what he did in the NBA after being drafted by Minnesota in 2007, where he averaged six points and just under nine rebounds. His eFG and TS percentages have both improved as well, so while he's not a world-beater, he'd be a solid bench option at power forward for an NBA team. Provided his body can handle it, of course.

Both Byars and Richard played significant time in the preseason opener, and while Byars looked a bit better, I wouldn't be surprised if Richard is the one (and only one) the Bulls keep due to his size. Even after the rise of Taj (sigh), it's likely the Bulls feel the need for frontcourt emergency depth with Gray sidelined, James fat, and Miller always prone to miss games here and there.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Byars given a shot to out-play Pargo (not to try to read too much into the preseason game, I just truly think Pargo is replacement-level) for a spot at the fringe of the rotation, but with the Bulls nearly $1m from the luxury tax line, they'll likely sign only one of the two, if none. And while spots 12-15 are not that significant, with the Bulls insistent on not paying the tax and having a lot of dead (if expiring) money already on the books, I wonder if they're regretting their summer signings (or at least the terms) of Gray, Hunter, and Pargo.

Training Camp Invites - Chicago Bulls

Jon L — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:41:49 -0000

Derrick Byars can be a solid bench scorer for the Chicago Bulls.

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RU's look at players invited to training camp - in baseball they'd be called non-roster invitees - rolls on. Now that the camps have actually started and teams have started cutting players it will be a little tougher to talk about these guys as if they have a shot to make a roster, but I'll do my best. Milwaukee, for example, has already waived all four of the players they brought in. Heck, Detroit didn't even bother to invite anyone. Our run through the Central Division should be quick, since there are only three teams who still have some players on their roster that we're interested in. First up, Chicago.

Derrick Byars - Byars got a full-length profile earlier this offseason, so I'll just touch on a few highlights: he was a very smart and skilled college player, but since then has mostly spent time in Europe and the D-League in addition to getting a few preseason NBA looks. He doesn't rebound or get to the free-throw line consistently, and he's not the quickest guy, but he can definitely score and he's a decent passer for a swingman, and he generally makes smart decisions. Byars averaged just under 17 points per 36 minutes in Bakersfield last year, and he shot just over 38 percent on three-pointers. He also does a pretty good job of staying out of foul trouble. I think Chicago would do well to sign Byars, in part because Luol Deng's health is still somewhat tenuous, and because he would give them another bench scoring option on nights when Jannero Pargo's shot isn't falling. I'm not confident that will happen, and Byars isn't really the type of guy you bring in when you're trying to emphasize defense (though what team isn't at this time of year), but I think it would be a solid fit.

Chris Richard - I tend to get him confused with Chris Hunter, but Chris Richard injured his back last year and was released by Tulsa before the all-star break. He was solid if unspectacular when he played, though, averaging about 14 points and nine and a half rebounds per 36 minutes. Those numbers are an improvement on what he did in the NBA after being drafted by Minnesota in 2007, where he averaged six points and just under nine rebounds. His eFG and TS percentages have both improved as well, so while he's not a world-beater, he'd be a solid bench option at power forward for an NBA team. Provided his body can handle it, of course.

Curtis Stinson and Steven Hill - Both of these guys have been cut already, so I'll keep this brief. Hill actually played with Richard in Tulsa last year before succumbing to injuries of his own. His numbers were pretty close to Ricahrd's, too, at 13 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, though he had a greater propensity for foul trouble. He's also from Branson, so if he were still around I probably would've made a few jokes about that. Stinson helped run the point for the D-League Select Summer League team, and while turnovers were a problem for him there, he's mostly been able to keep them in check in the D-League. He's a pretty good rebounder for his position, and while he doesn't have much of a three-point shot he's pretty solid in all the other areas.

Bulls 104, Pacers 95: Plenty Of Preseason Lessons Left To Learn

Tom Lewis — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:55:02 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

Solomon Jones shows some of the defense the earned him a preseason start.

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Much like last season, the Indiana Pacers lost their preseason opener by losing the third quarter badly.

After taking a 43-41 lead to the break and showing some of the fruits of their defensive labor, the Pacers offered the Bulls a bundle of turnovers which no defense could prevent turning into a huge run by the visitors. The Bulls held on from their to secure the 104-95 win over the Pacers.

So there was some good defense, some bad defense, some exciting offense, some embarrassing offense. All in all, Jim O'Brien left the game quite pleased to have a lot of positive and negative reinforcement opportunities on tape to teach his players.

Really, there isn't much about the actual game that merits analysis other than the individual work of the players, but there is one story-line that is worth following.

Roy Hibbert did not start tonight, giving way to newcomer Solomon Jones. Officially, Jeff Foster started at center, but this was about the center position. Jones earned the start ahead of Hibbert and then showed why with his play. Solo looked quite comfortable with the starting unit and produced at both ends of the floor.

Considering I had no idea what to expect from Jones, I was surprised to hear he was starting and even more surprised that he showed why early in the game. Jones finished the game with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in 25 minutes. He was able to get to the line and also showed the ability to hit the 12-15 foot shot from around the free throw line. Very nice debut for the big fella in front of the home fans.

Hibbert, on the other hand, struggled when he entered the game, picking up three first half fouls. The second two were iffy, but there's no doubt he was a step late to the party on each play which made the calls reasonable. To his credit, Hibbert started the second half and immediately scored a couple of low-post buckets. But then again, he was at the scene of the crime when the Bulls went on their big third-quarter run.

After the game, JOB mentioned Roy was also at a disadvantage because he excels in the low post but the team hasn't put in much low post offense at this point. Still, considering the affable Hibbert was long gone when the locker room opened up to the media, there's no doubt he's feeling the heat.

This was the best news of the night for me. A team with solid guys and strong chemistry still needs to be on edge. A little agitation keeps everyone from getting too comfortable with their surroundings.For a team that isn't good enough to ever get comfortable, they need to stay hungry for every minute available. JOB was able to send that message tonight, that everyone needs to stay hungry because nothing is set.

Plenty of other toughts and observations:

JOB thought the defense played with the right intensity and mindset for about half of the game. He liked the active hands and was real pleased with the team's 40 deflections. Again, he can teach using half of the game to learn from mistakes and the other half as positive reinforcement.
Luther Head looked as comfortable on the floor as any Pacer despite just recently joining the team. JOB's style of play definitely suits his game as he was quick to get out and not only run the floor but finish. Luther knocked down a couple of threes and finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists but it seemed like he was all over the place. After the game it was obvious that he had memorized the team's defensive memo. He repeatedly mentioned focusing on defense as his priority and letting the rest of the game evolve naturally. If he can consistently bring the type of energy and production he showed tonight, it will be easy for JOB to find him some minutes.
Danny Granger finished with 27 points like it was just another day at the office. I was surprised at the half when DG had 15 points because it seemed like he had four. Of course, his ability to get to the line and make free throws always bolsters those scoring numbers. He really looked in mid-season form, especially at the start of the fourth quarter when he had that look in his eye and ignited a comeback that knocked the Bulls 13-point lead down to two. Since it was a preseason game, DG didn't get to finish the job, but it was nice to see him ready, willing and able to do it on night one.
Granger was a bit up and down defensively. When the team played well he was certainly in the mix, but one bad play stuck out in the second half. 33 was isolated on the wing with John Salmons but was unable to beat Salmons to the spot on the baseline and ended up committing a foul when Salmons made it by him.
Brandon Rush had some of those active hands on defense but floated at times on offense. Rush finished with 13 points but didn't take a shot until the second half. After the game he said, like Head, he was focusing on defense and wanted to let the offense come to him instead of forcing anything early. Still need to see the aggressive offensive mindset he showed in the second half all game long.
Dahntay Jones made a solid Fieldhouse debut before taking a blow to the lower back and finding an ice pack for the rest of the evening. While it was nice to see him knock down his first jumper and first 3-ball attempt, it was equally pleasant to see him get up in the jersey of John Salmons and Derrick Byars on defense.
A.J. Price look real solid at both ends of the floor except for one minor detail. He couldn't make a shot. Literally missed 'em all despite some very good looks. At least we know that shouldn't be a chronic problem, just one of those nights.
Josh McRoberts made his presence felt with a couple of steals and six rebounds. He also had the finish of the night when he threw down a flying one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to two.
Oh, and Derrick Rose is still really good. Rose took over for a couple of brief stints in the second half to make sure everything stayed in Chicago's favor.
I was sitting near the Bulls bench and enjoyed the treatment given the replacement refs. You could tell everyone on the bench was holding their tongue more than usual and then when the game tightened and the time began running out there was a lot of free advice offered. Suddenly, players and assistant coaches were introducing themselves during timeouts and feeding the refs tips. In fact, I think Lindsey Hunter felt as though he was doing a public service, trying to mentor a young ref to see things his way. Classic.

Recapping Yesterday's Summer League Games

Jon L — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:23 -0000

Teams, players, journalists and other basketball-related folks are beginning to descend on Las Vegas, where the larger Summer League officially starts today at 2 PM local time (I think? What is that, Mountain Time?). Today's also the last day of the Orlando league, and at some point this weekend we'll have a look back at some players who stood out. For now, though, let's keep taking the games one at a time.

Utah Jazz 92, Orlando Magic 84

This was the second Summer League game to go into overtime, if that matters. Ryan Anderson continued to be the breakout star, again, if that matters. It likely matters to the Magic, particularly the fact that he's getting it done in a variety of ways. Yesterday Anderson shot 5-11 on three-pointers and 4-6 on the rest of his field goals, and he also pulled down 9 rebounds and blocked four shots. He had 8 fouls, though, but from this looks of it there were a lot of fouls called in this game. Goran Suton "rebounded" (sorry...you'll see why in a minute) from his poor performance a few days ago with 10 rebounds (see?), though he's still not hitting a lot of his three-point attempts. Bobcats second-rounder Derrick Brown had a very good game, the first that I've noticed, with 10-15 shooting and five rebounds. He missed all of his three-pointers but shot 5-7 from the free-throw line.

Kasib Powell continued to show why he should be on an NBA roster this year. Even though he struggled with his shot (4-12), he made things happen in other ways by grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. Kevin Kruger played a good game in relief of Eric Maynor, who didn't fare quite as well. Kruger, though, made half his shots and went 5-6 from the free-throw line, though his three-point shot wasn't falling quite as well. Cedric Bozeman played a pretty good game himself, getting four rebounds, four assists and a steal to go with 8 points in 22 minutes. Richard Hendrix didn't have a great game, with 7 fouls, 4 turnovers and only 2 points in just under 26 minutes, but on the positive side of the ledger he also grabbed 8 rebounds.

As usual, the other two games are after the jump.

Indiana Pacers 91, Boston Celtics 88

Tyler Hansbrough continues to do an excellent job of getting to the free-throw line, with 12 attempts, though I have no idea whether that will continue on to the regular season. He's a rookie, so I kind of doubt it. Roy Hibbert was his usual (for this week anyway) efficient low-post scoring self, with 28 points on 10 shots, and he also had 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, but also 5 turnovers. Bill Walker had a good game, one that I don't have to qualify with his turnover or foul number. Walker shot 6-10 and had five rebounds, three steals and two assists. JR Giddens continues to put up turnover numbers that are a bit high, with four in 25 minutes, though he's still an efficient scorer (since he gets most of his points inside) and he had five rebounds.

Trey Johnson had probably his first all-around solid game this week, with 13 points on 8 shots, 2 assists and 2 steals, and, while I'm not sure if this is a positive sign or no indicator at all, he's been getting starts and a lot of playing time. The other non-guaranteed guys didn't really stand out in this one, and Derrick Byars didn't even play (nor did Mike Sweetney, who's missed the last few games with a hamstring injury). Robert Swift was better on the offensive end than he's been, making all five of his shots, and he also had four rebounds. He's still Robert Swift, though, and had three turnovers and six fouls as well.

Oklahoma City Thunder 82, Philadelphia/New Jersey Frankensteins

Guess what? Russell Westbrook is good. 6-10 shooting, 9 assists and four rebounds. He still hasn't figured out the turnover conundrum, though, and he had seven yesterday. Kyle Weaver is never going to be an offensive giant, but he had five rebounds, two blocks and two steals yesterday. James Harden continues to be fairly impressive, with efficient offense and a solid all-around game. Marreese Speights has struggled the last few days, and while he had nine rebounds yesterday he also had six fouls and six turnovers. in about 24 and a half minutes. Terrence Williams finally found some offense yesterday, making just under half his field goals and finishing with 14 points along with 5 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. BJ Mullins played a decent game as well, shooting 9-12 and grabbing five rebounds.

Jason Ellis finally showed his rebounding talent, with five in about 26 minutes along with 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Blake Ahearn is unfortunately still struggling with his shot, though, and Gary Forbes didn't fare much better yesterday. Neither Shaun Livingston nor DJ White played, but Moses Ehambe finally got into a game where he, uh, didn't play all that well either. Both of these teams played their starters the bulk of the minutes for some reason. I mean, does Kyle Weaver really need to play 31 minutes in Summer League?

SB Nation - Derrick Byars

Turnover at the Top

Ridiculous Transactions: 11/2 - 11/8

*Sniffle* World Mourns as Derrick Byars is Cut by Bulls *Sniffle*

Is this fair?

Shouldn't be.

No.

How rude!

Yes. Bulls brass always seems to know what they're doing.

Waive Goodbye, Part 2

Last Night in the Preseason

Last Night in the Preseason

Who are the Bulls camp free agents, and should we care?

Training Camp Invites - Chicago Bulls

Bulls 104, Pacers 95: Plenty Of Preseason Lessons Left To Learn

Recapping Yesterday's Summer League Games

Sniffle World Mourns as Derrick Byars is Cut by Bulls Sniffle