Stein reports from Vegas summer league:

Not totally sure yet how to interpret this one, but sources say that Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is personally handling contract negotiations with Deng and his new agent (Jason Levien) after Reinsdorf informed Bulls GM John Paxson that he wanted to directly negotiate with the Deng camp along with Bulls director of player personnel Gar Forman.

Bulls tidbits are otherwise scarce so far beyond what we covered recently about Deng's fellow restricted free agent Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. While it is widely presumed that Chicago will soon trade Hinrich after drafting Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick, sources maintain that there is some sentiment in the Bulls organization to keep Hinrich -- a Reinsdorf favorite -- and play him at shooting guard alongside Rose while banking on getting something good for Gordon in a sign-and-trade.

Don't know how I should feel about this -- my initial reaction is that I would expect the Bulls front office to behave in a more coordinated fashion, particularly after what happened with D'Antoni earlier this summer -- but wanted to get it posted to get everyone's thoughts. 

The other tidbit to note in this report is that it sounds like the Clips are interested in a number of "restricteds," including Luol.

[From the FanPosts. Thanks to paxson43 for putting up a gamethread. I didn't even have to ask! -ed.]

Get ready for Summer League, boys and girls! 

The Orlando Magic website will be carrying a live stream.  The Bulls play the second game of the day (first tip is 2pm CST) at 3:30pm CST (thanks Ozzie).  Make sure to tune in as the "announcers" are hysterical.

The media seems to be hyping this game up as the first match-up between Rose and Beasley, although if you ask either player, not so much.

Not a whole lot to look out for today, just hope that none of the Bulls players sucks too much.  In addition, we should keep an eye on how Rose and Beasley respond to their career ending minor injuries.

Doug from the Bulls Beat podcast will be in Miami the next few days and promises to have a podcast up after today's game.

Go Bulls!

PS: Duhon's gone

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This quote from Larry worries me a lot:

"I'm trying to work my way in slowly offensively [because] we are in a playoff run and I have a lot of time to assert myself in doing what I do best, which is score," Hughes said. "Right now I'm just trying to get used to the guys, get used to situations and just play. I'm being aggressive but not being overly aggressive like I will be later on."
I hope to GOD that by "aggressive" he means driving to the hoop, but he could actually be planning on just taking a greater number of jump shots at a 40% clip.  Something tells me that he's thinking the latter, which is trouble.


If Thabo was still the quivering, turnover-prone disaster he was earlier in the season, I would acquiesce to Hughes being the third guard in the Bulls' rotation.  But Thabo is freaking awesome (busted groin and all, heh) and still cheap for another year.  Either Larry keeps good on his promise to slash and continues to share the ball or he needs to leave this summer.

I figure somebody else in the BAB community is watching the All Star Saturday Night (virtually) with me.  Here's a spot for observations, rants or interesting anecdotes that are not boring and are easy to remember.

To start: Duhon shot extremely well for team Chicago in the first round of the Shooting Stars competition.

Our Man Sam (tm) has hijacked KC's blog once again and enlightens us with his bluesy wisdom and sassy remarks (10 Schrute Bucks for getting the reference).

On Luol, Kirk and Ben sitting out most of the roadtrip:

I enjoyed the view as well, sitting and watching games on this trip as they did.
On Salt Lake City:
Though one thing I most like about coming here is being transformed into the '50s, except with cell phones...

The difference here is everyone is dancing on skates to the Village People's "YMCA." Then there was the Macarena song dance and everyone did that. You just never see this kind of innocence and joy in big cities.

On New Orleans:
... where you generally get thrown up on.

[UPDATE: Veektor speaks. (hattip to JoeJoe) -Matt]

A sad sad day in Chicago Bulls history.  KC is reporting that the Bulls have bought out the remainder of Khryapa's contract.  

I no longer have a reason to root for this team.  I hope they wear their black road uniforms tonight in memory of Veektor.

Anybody have any favorite Veektor memories that they'd like to share?  I loved it when he got decimated by LeBron late last season.  

Our Man Sam (TM) is at it again.  In his latest column, he says that Pau Gasol is again available.  What's more, he could be had for the low, low price of Noc and Tyrus.

I'm skeptical that the Grizz would be willing to part with their All-Star for so little, but if Sam has his facts right this time (first time, ever), doesn't Pax have to jump at this opportunity?  I'd guess that the Bulls would have to throw some combo of Thabo/Viktor/A-Drain/Pick as well to make this work.

If this trade went through, Pax would look like a genius for signing Noc to his inflated salary to use as filler for a bigger-contract guy.  The team also rids itself of Tyrus who may or may not be the worst human being in the world (he isn't).

Update [2007-12-3 15:57:37 by paxson43]: Sam also mentions the possibility of somehow grabbing Jerry Stackhouse from the Mavs. It's a thought that made me just throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Luol kicks off his blogging career over at NBA.com.  He covers a bunch of topics including lots of talk about his time with the British National Team this summer.  He also says nice things about both Noah and Tyrus (I guess it doesn't have to be zero sum, eh Sam?):

Our rookies this year are great. We have a great class of rookies, especially Joakim. He is just a hard worker and that is why he fits in so well with the way we play. The city will really embrace him. We hustle, we play hard and that is his style of playing. With Tyrus it's the same thing. Last season he struggled a little bit but I think he's improved a lot over the summer. He improved his jumpshot. He worked on his game this summer. I think he'll have a better year this year and he'll be able to help us out a lot more. Those two guys, they want to be great.

Stumbled across this post by Ryan Jones (former EiC of Slam) that's a commentary on an article that Deion Sanders wrote regarding Kobe's trade demands.  The off-the-wall sarcasm made me laugh out loud a couple of times.  A couple excerpts (worth a full read for a laugh, though):

"The nerve of some people. Seriously, can you believe the nerve of Kobe Bryant? Maybe you can. I can't." This is Deion's lead. The list of things that make this a great lead, particularly coming from Deion Sanders, is too long to fit on the Internet.
...
"I don't know if he's selfish because he grew up in Italy eating his frosted flakes with a silver spoon." Frosted Flakes is a brand name and should be capitalized. Otherwise, this sentence is perfect.
...
"When you go triple platinum on your teammates, namely Shaq, you have broken the players' code of behavior. When you break the players' code -- the sport doesn't matter -- you get a lifetime ban." I don't think I know what Deion is saying here. I mean, I do... but I don't.
Here's to a life free of people going triple platinum on you.

Big H/T to Slam.

Mike McGraw at the Daily Herald today mentions that the Bulls should go after Nene and that he may be available:

Another player the Bulls might think about this summer is Denver power forward Nene.

No team needs to clear payroll more than the Nuggets, who have more than $78 million in salary commitments next season, well above the luxury-tax threshold. They also have a team that lasted just five games before getting knocked out of the playoffs.

Last winter, when Denver acquired Allen Iverson's massive deal from Philadelphia, no team wanted to touch Nene's contract. But with four years and $50.5 million remaining, he's owed less than Randolph or Pau Gasol.

The 24-year-old Brazil native came alive to average 14.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and shoot 62 percent from the field after Feb. 1. The 6-foot-11 Nene is not a polished post scorer, but the Bulls certainly could use another big body.

As I recall, Nene played surprisingly well in the first round against the Spurs.  I got the impression that the Nuggets would like to hold on to him so don't know how available is really is.  Would be great to have though: legitimately big body with a developing post game.

To lighten the mood around here, I encourage everyone to watch this recap of the season.

Below are my thoughts on last night's game and this series (this is cathartic for me).  

History is always the story of the interaction of many forces.  It's easy for us Bulls fans to concentrate solely on our team's collapse from a Bulls perspective, but that only partially explains the outcome.  Detroit is playing like a team on a mission.  Ten years from now when stories are written about these playoffs (and likely the Pistons capturing a second title in this era) the Bulls will be described simply as fodder for a talented and motivated team marching towards its destiny.  No one will care about the Bulls blowing a 19 point third quarter lead, questionable substitutions (or the lack thereof), shooting slumps, etc.


There were many many heartbreaking games and disappointments preceding the first Bulls dynasty, but those are now remembered only as part of the prologue to six championships in eight years.  

It's impossible to plan out success in sports (and in life) to the detail.  Luck and many other variables play huge parts.  Pax's plan will be reassessed this summer, which is a good thing.  But consider all the things that the Bulls have going for them: a deep pool of young, good and smart players, two promising rookies, one first- and a couple second-round picks in a deep draft, super-smart management and a firebrand coach who (while not perfect) has near-universal respect from his peers and his players.  There are at least 25 teams that would kill to be in this position.  

This is not the end.  It's only the beginning.

Abbott over at TrueHoop is appealing to fans to save Ty from a terrible nickname:

Watching the babiest of baby Bulls take the court last night, I scribbled the following, all based on the idea that, for better or for worse, he's an automatic jumper:

Jumpatronic.
Leaptronic.
Dunkatronic.

I tried them out on my friend Erin, who is a big Pistons fan. After watching him last night, she thought it might be better to call him "Suckatronic."

I'm sure you have some ideas, too. So, it's your turn. Let me hear your ideas in the comments.

Head over to TrueHoop and submit your pick.

As a total aside, I think the nickname "El-Train" for Elton Brand was sufficient reason to keep him in Chicago...

In case you guys missed, there's an article by Scoop Jackson on ESPN about Luol.

Ignoring Scoop's self-promotion, Luol comes off humble yet confident, as usual.

"I think a lot of what's going on with me and my play right now has to do with the disappointment I had last year," he said. "I had a concussion right before the playoffs, and I went into the playoffs averaging about 11 points per game. And before [the concussion] I was averaging about 18 a game. I was really upset about that."
...
I tell him about the "Sports Unplugged" radio show where I put it all on him last summer. I tell him what I told Stephen A. Smith and Tim Legler on "Quite Frankly" in January. I tell him about being the only one to vote for him on ESPN.com for most improved player.

He said thanks. Wants to keep it humble. In his mind he's done nothing yet. Wants to take it one game, one series at a time.

I don't think even the omniscient Scoop could have predicted that Luol would be averaging 28/8/4 through three victories against the defending champions.  

I hope that everyone is appreciating that we have front-row seats to the emergence of a superstar.

June 21, 2009
CHICAGO  - As the confetti streamed from the rafters of the United Center, Ben Gordon --NBA Champions hat carefully placed askew on his head -- clutched the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy  at center court.  The mercurial Bulls All-Star admitted that the scene was premeditated: "I remember seeing pictures of Michael Jordon when the Bulls won all those Championships in the 1990s.  He was so overjoyed.  He had led his team to the top of the League.  As a kid and a huge Bulls fan, I wanted to be in those pictures.  Now I know how it feels: it's indescribable."

11 years after Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson left Chicago, six years after John Paxson took the helm of a team struggling to recapture the dignity and pride of the 1990s Bulls dynasty and five years after Paxson made Gordon the third pick in the NBA Draft hoping that the UConn star would one day lead the Bulls back to glory, the day arrived on Sunday night.  The Bulls dismissed the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers in game six, 102-94.  John Paxson noted, "When we won our first title in 1991, we had to go through the Lakers too.  Maybe this is the beginning of another dynasty.  Wherever this goes, I am proud of this team.  I feel that we have assembled a roster of true professionals and it has been my privilege to watch them blossom together into NBA Champions."
...
It has been a long road for these young Bulls.  "I really felt that the playoffs two years ago was when we turned the corner," said Tyrus Thomas.  "That was before we drafted Roy [Hibbert] and we dropped a huge game against the Nets in the last game of the season.  We fell short of 50 wins and put ourselves in a big hole seeding-wise.  The team met before our first game against the [first-round opponent] Heat and we all said that we had to dig ourselves out of the hole that we had put ourselves in."  Added All-Star Luol Deng, "That year, with all the experts doubting our core, John [Paxson], Coach Skiles... we showed our pride.  When we walked off the floor in Cleveland, I knew then that one day, I would win a title with these guys."

The Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007.  The following year, a late-season injury to Ben Wallace ruined a promising run and the Bulls bowed out in the second round in five games.  
...
Lakers point guard Chris Duhon reflected on his old team: "It hurts, man.  I loved that team and thought we could win a title together one day.  But it's a business and I love my team now.  Next year, with Andrew [Bynum] fully healthy and KG [Kevin Garnett] well rested, we'll be back.  I just hope we're not facing these guys again.  It hurts too much."

Upon hearing Duhon's comments, Kirk Hinrich quipped, "Chris better get ready for more heartbreak.  I plan on being here for a long time."

For the first time in 11 years, a new dynasty looms in Chicago.