Chicago Bulls Thread

[Kevin]

Is he worth it?

[Moz]

Of what? The $3M? That will come off his pocket not the Bulls'....

EDIT
Ok so I thought that Mirotic will pay that buyout but it's really the Bulls who will...

[NovU]

So the Bulls are officially giving up on Melo?

[benji]

It turns out that Derrick Rose was not a part of the Chicago Bulls' pitch to Carmelo Anthony after all.

Rose, Chicago's star point guard, happened to be in the middle of his daily workout routine when Bulls officials brought Anthony into the United Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Rose actually was surprised to see Anthony, one source said. He had no idea what time the Knicks' free agent would be visiting the Bulls.

Rose broke up his workout to approach Anthony and said a brief hello, but that was the extent of his participation in the Bulls' recruitment.

Chicago took Anthony through a prepared recruitment presentation for Anthony, and Rose's impression was that teammates Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were officially part of it, sources said.

But the Bulls' front office never asked Rose to join in.

"Derrick wasn't bothered that he wasn't a part of it," a source said. "He was just kind of shocked, like, 'Man, I didn't get the memo.'"

Rose had told Yahoo! Sports earlier in the week that he would not be involved in the recruitment of Anthony, so it seemed stunning when reports came out that he did indeed participate in the Bulls' presentation.

But there was no about-face on Rose's part, just perhaps a timely visit with Anthony to the arena set up by Bulls officials.

"Derrick was just working out, shooting jumpers, going through his normal routine," a source said. "He didn't even know what time Melo was coming."

Rose, who works out daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the United Center, did not attend a Tuesday night dinner the Bulls had with Anthony.

Despite his public stance against recruiting, sources close to Rose said he would have taken part in the Bulls' presentation if members of the front office had asked him to do so.

[Alpha_]

Bulls told Carlos Boozer it's a possibility he will be amnestied or used in a sign-&-trade but have made no final decisions, sources said.

[Moz]

So the Bulls are officially giving up on Melo?

Well reports says that from the get go the Bulls management are pessimistic on landing Melo and it seems they're just playing safe if it turns out that Melo is just cockteasing these teams he visited so that he'll get that max from New York....

[BrunoEarth]

Melo would for sure stay in NYK.

[_Steve_]

From the last rumors I'd guess it's either the Knicks or the Lakers. As much as I'd like to see how Melo and the Bulls would fit, I think Chicago is out of the picture.

[shadowgrin]

Called it...

...reminds me of when Duncan and McGrady visited Chicago during free agency in their prime.

[Andrew]

It certainly does seem like they're out of the running. Ah well, at least they gave it their all with a strong pitch; we Bulls fans can console ourselves with fanboyish mutterings of Melo only being interested in money.

[NovU]

I think the Bulls are better off not signing Melo. I just don't think Melo's that good. Lance Stephenson became available and is a player I would like to see going to the Bulls. The Bulls are quite an unselfish team that could tolerate his needs for spotlight.

[Andrew]

I like his talent, I'm just not sure about his attitude.

[_Steve_]

I like his talent, I'm just not sure about his attitude.

Same here. Plus the Bulls are in need of a(nother) reliable scoring option, which is something Lance does not provide...

[Kevin]

Rose and Stephenson as a backcourt

[Mandich]

Rose and Stephenson as a backcourt

In one sentence: big highs, higher lows.

EDIT: a stat-whore egomaniac can't fit with a media proclaimed mesiah/superstar. Not enough basketballs.

[NovU]

Same here. Plus the Bulls are in need of a(nother) reliable scoring option, which is something Lance does not provide...

What the Bulls lacked is a capable high usage player. You were awarding Boozer with the team high possession use, followed by Luol, Taj, Augustin respectively. Then you have 5th highest usage player that was the most productive one out of all the Bulls, Joakim Noah. Also notice only one of these players is a backcourt player. There you have it. Literally you relied entirely on Augustin for all the backcourt tasks. Is that ideal for a team that wants to contend? I doubt it. This is where I like Lance about. He's quite effective with ball in his hands and is a crafty defender at the same time. His only issue was asking for more ball usage and the Bulls could give him that whereas the Pacers had other ideas. Also notice he wasn't a ball hog last season. His usage was under 20%. Meaning he's also effective at medium use of basketball which is quite handy in case Rose returns to his former self.

There's no doubt his attitude has been a red flag but his potential is top notch, for a young player who is just entering his fifth season.

[Andrew]

The Bulls' offense last season was far from what it needed to be, but relying on a player like Lance Stephenson isn't necessarily the answer. Again, I like his talent and if he did go to the Bulls, I'm sure I'd come around to supporting him while hoping for the best. But those attitude problems are a huge concern, and there's a chance they'd get even worse if he's treated like a marquee free agent. He's got talent, he's got potential to be even better, but he's also capable of taking himself out of games and undermining a team.

I'm not 100% against it - like I said, I could get used to the idea if he did end up signing with the Bulls, and would hope that it would work out for the best - but I don't exactly love the idea, either. I hope there are a couple of other options they can pursue before that, though none spring immediately to mind except keeping up their efforts in the Kevin Love trade talks.

[NovU]

Love would be ideal.

But considering current availability and possibility, I just think Lance is one of the best possible options at the moment.

[air gordon]

yes indeed there is a need for scoring and another ball handler.

If the bulls are left picking up the leftover, id be for giving Stephenson a shot but I'm not sure management is on board. They have been burned before handing out big contacts to players doing well in a contract year (erobbery). Can't blame them

[Moz]

yes indeed there is a need for scoring and another ball handler.

This... It'll prevent their offense getting stuck at the perimeter and I reckon it'll never be a big problem regarding the team chemistry since they gelled with Nate Robinson very well....

[Andrew]

Sources: Bulls show interest in Dwyane Wade

The Chicago Bulls are interested in discussing a deal with free-agent guard Dwyane Wade, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The crumbling of the Miami Heat's Big Three on Friday leaves Wade facing a future without LeBron James and possibly Chris Bosh in Miami, and a Heat franchise facing a rebuilding situation again. The Heat, however, are trying to re-sign Bosh and Wade.

On one hand, he's still a very good player. On the other, the Bulls already have one key player with knee problems. Still, if the opportunity was there, I think they'd have to give it a shot. However, I'd suggest that he's staying in Miami, and that this won't amount to much more than idle speculation.

[Kevin]

Two guards with knee problems? I don't even know.

In other news, Miami's fanbase is now deado R.I.P. 2010-2014.
First Bron.
Next, Wade.

[Jackal]

Sign and trade with Gasol likely happening.

[_Steve_]

I'm no fan of a Wade to the Bulls scenario. Bulls have already a guard who likes attacking the rim. Imo they should more look for a Klay Thompson kind of guy that provides some long range shooting.

[Kevin]

But I thought when Rose returned in action for a short time, he improved his 3-point shooting?