Offseason of Bulls' Delight Under Way

CLEVELAND -- What could be a whopper of an offseason for the Chicago Bulls started Tuesday night.

These next few months could see the jettisoning of a coach and the signing of a big-name free agent to fill some of the Bulls' $20-22 million in salary cap space. Chicago could be in prime position to add a talented player to go with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng – and that could make them a formidable team for the next few years.

LeBron James understands. Toward the end of his news conference following the Cavs' Game 5 victory Tuesday night, Sam Smith of Bulls.com (and Jordan Rules fame) tried to give James a knuckleball by asking if a free agent might be intrigued by joining Rose and Noah.

"You mean do I want to play with them?" James said, smiling. "I kind of figured (the question) was coming."

Why wouldn't it? James is the prize free agent this offseason, and Chicago is one of the prize destinations.



Share "Those guys are great," James said. "I watch the game every day. I know talent and those are two talented guys. They are going to be really good for this league for years to come."

Then he smiled again.

"I know I didn't answer your question," he said before getting up and heading out the door.

James will be first on the list of Chicago and every other team this offseason. But the Bulls have other possibilities, including Miami's Dwyane Wade (who grew up in Chicago), Toronto's Chris Bosh, Utah's Carlos Boozer and Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire. Any or all would fit nicely -- especially if Chicago can add a "max" free agent and somehow figure a way to keep Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls have much to offer -- including a healthy tradition established by a guy whose statue is outside the team's arena.

"I can't wait, man," Rose said.

Then he said he probably doesn't even have to recruit anyone.

"Chicago is a great place. Great team. Great organization. Fans are great. So why not come here?"
- Derrick Rose "Chicago is a great place," Rose said. "Great team. Great organization. Fans are great. So why not come here?"

Why not indeed, especially when a player could join a young and developing nucleus.

For whatever it's worth, the Bulls did plenty to impress and earn the respect of the league's reigning MVP. Chicago lost in five, but had legitimate chances to win two of the four losses -- both on Cleveland's home court. James praised Noah, and said Rose (26.8 points and 7.2 assists) has become one of the two or three best point guards in the league.

"I love Derrick Rose," James said. "He's an awesome talent."

Rose's quickness and ability to float in the air -- some guys have vertical leap, his is horizontal -- provided some rare moments. Had he not been facing James, he would have been the best player on the court.

James had similar comments on Noah, whose comments on the city of Cleveland drew the ire of Cavs fans but not the anger of James. He was more impressed with Noah's hustle and effort (13 rebounds per game).

"Fans have every right to boo him but for me as a competitor ... you try to find edges to get you going," James said. "But (what Noah said) didn't bother me at all, because at the end of the day he was still able to go out on the floor and back it up. He's a great talent, and he'll continue to get better."

Noah was at the heart of a loud and pointed confrontation on March 30 between coach Vinny Del Negro and team president John Paxson. At issue was Noah's minutes as he returned from injury, and it could mean that Del Negro will not be back. On the one hand, Del Negro is credited for bringing along a young team and two years in a row doing well in two playoff losses. On the other, he has to mend the relationship with Chicago management as well as refine the offense, which relies almost exclusively on pick-and-rolls with Rose (which isn't a bad option given it's Rose).

"All those things will be dealt with after the season, in meetings and things," Del Negro said of his future. "Decisions will be made. I don't worry about it, to be honest with you. I know how hard my staff has worked the last two years. How anyone wants to judge it they'll judge and we'll move on."

Del Negro does have one big supporter.

"I'd vote yes," Rose said when asked if he wanted Del Negro back. "That's a guy, when we both came in, he let me have my freedom. He coached me. He let me make my mistakes. We watched film together every day. He taught me a lot. ... But the decision is not up to me. It's up to the front office, so I'm just going to let them deal with that."

The Bulls finished 41-41, but Del Negro had to deal with the loss of Ben Gordon in free agency and the midseason trade of John Salmons. Noah missed 18 games to injury, and the Bulls lost 10 in a row without him. When he returned, the Bulls won 10 of their last 14 to make the playoffs.

"Vinny and that coaching staff had those guys ready," James said. "They have a group of young talent that loves to play the game and they play hard. There was not one point where they kind of laid down. I'm not trying to make a pitch for Vinny because I know what's going on -- 'Is Vinny in or is Vinny out?' That's not my job, but this team that we played in this series played hard."

The Bulls will not make a decision until the weekend, but all indicators point to Del Negro being replaced. He leaves a good core behind, with more additions on the way. There might not be a better coaching job available in the NBA this offseason.