Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 19 – NBA Blog

Bulls issue statement praising Joakim Noah

Veteran center Joakim Noah has said goodbye to the Bulls and signed as a free agent with the Knicks. Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson and General Manager Gar Forman issued the following statements following Noah’s departure:

JERRY REINSDORF: “You cannot measure the impact Joakim made on our team and the City of Chicago over the last nine years. His concern, commitment and compassion were always on display. He is loved by all in our organization and he will always be a Bull. We want to thank Joakim for his countless contributions to our organization and the city of Chicago, both on and off the court, and we wish him nothing but the best as he begins a new chapter.”

JOHN PAXSON: “When we drafted Joakim in 2007, we knew that we were getting a kid with a strong spirit, was a hard worker and was a proven winner. What we didn’t know was the impact that he would make on our organization and the City of Chicago. He worked incredibly hard and eventually became the pulse of our team. Joakim has not only meant a lot to our entire organization and our city, but also to me personally. In this day and age in the NBA, it is rare where you come across a player as genuine, compassionate and real as Jo. The time and energy that he and his family put into his Foundation while he was here in Chicago speaks to the type of human being that he is. On behalf of the Chicago Bulls, I want to thank Joakim for everything that he did for us and I wish him the best as he moves on.”

GAR FORMAN: “I have always thought highly of Joakim, not only because of his efforts on the court and in the locker room, but also for his heartfelt work and dedication in the community. These are the tough decisions in this job that nobody likes to make, but unfortunately it comes with the territory. Joakim has meant so much to so many different people on so many different levels. I want to thank him for everything that he has done for our organization over the last nine years and I wish him all my best.”

Bulls trade Mike Dunleavy to Cavaliers

The 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard/forward Mike Dunleavy and the draft rights to forward Vladimir Veremeenko from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the rights to forward Albert Miralles. Dunleavy will be accepted into the trade exception that was created in the Cavs trade earlier today with Milwaukee, that also included the draft rights to Miralles, General Manager David Griffin announced from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome Mike to our Cavaliers family,” said Griffin. “His size, shooting, basketball IQ, and versatility make him a great fit for our group on the floor. While his experience, professionalism, grit, and team first character will be key for us in the locker room.”

Dunleavy (6-9, 220) has spent the last three years with Chicago. He played in 31 games (30 starts) for the Bulls in the 2015-16 regular season after missing the first 49 games due to a back injury. The 6-9 forward finished the campaign with averages of 7.2 points, a .394 mark from beyond the arc, and 2.7 rebounds in 22.7 minutes.

An NCAA champion out of Duke (2001), Dunleavy was originally selected by Golden State with the third overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. Over his 14-year NBA career, he has averaged 11.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28.4 minutes over 933 games (583 starts) with the Warriors, Indiana, Milwaukee and Chicago. He also holds career shooting percentages of .441 from the field, .376 from the three-point line and .803 from the foul line. In his 26 postseason appearances (17 starts), he has averaged 10.4 points on .482 shooting from the field, .453 from beyond the arc, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.5 minutes.

Veremeenko (6-10, 236) was selected with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. He has recently played for the Italian professional basketball club Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia.

Bulls trade Jose Calderon to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired José Calderón and two future second round draft picks from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Ater Majok, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

“Not only is José an elite shooter, he is also an established and versatile player whose skill and professionalism will supplement the talent on our roster,” said Kupchak.

In 11 seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks, Calderón has averaged 9.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game while shooting 41.2% from three-point range, 47.4% from the field, and 87.5% from the free throw line over 748 games (546 starts). He led the league in three-point shooting percentage (46.1%) during the 2012-13 season and free throw shooting (98.1%) in 2008-09, making 151 of his 154 attempts.

The 6’3’’ native of Spain played domestically in his home country prior to coming to the NBA, and is one of the most decorated international players in his country’s history. He was a member of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2006 World Championships and 2011 European Championships, and owns two Olympic silver medals from the 2012 games in London and 2008 games in Beijing. Calderón was honored with the responsibilities of team captaincy at the 2004 Olympic Games, and also owns medals from the 2013, 2007, and 2003 European Championships.

Chicago Bulls sign Rajon Rondo

Rondo’s new teammates will include Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has signed guard Rajon Rondo. The deal is reportedly a $28 million dollar contract over two years.

“We are very excited to add Rajon to our organization. He is a tremendous competitor and a championship-level player,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a battle-tested veteran who has been an All-Star and NBA Champion. He is a terrific distributor and playmaker who we feel be a great addition to our team.”

The new-look Bulls will be one of the NBA’s most fascinating chemistry experiments next season. Point guard Rondo, new shooting guard Dwyane Wade (not yet signed), and Jimmy Butler, who presumably will play undersized small forward, will have a lot of adjusting to do. And none of them prefer to shoot three-pointers, so stretching the court will be a challenge.

However, they are all supremely talented players. So what we’re saying is, yes, there’s a chance.

Rondo (6-1, 186), a 10-year NBA veteran, joins the Bulls after spending last season with the Sacramento Kings. He began his career with the Boston Celtics as a first-round draft pick (21st overall) in 2006 and spent eight full seasons in Boston before being traded to Dallas during the 2014-15 season.

Rondo was a starter on the Celtics’ NBA Championship squad in 2008 and made four consecutive All Star appearances while with Boston in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was Third Team All-NBA in 2011-12 and made four straight NBA All-Defensive teams in 2008-09 (2nd), 2009-10 (1st), 2010-11 (1st) and 2011-12 (2nd). He was also named to the All-Rookie Second-Team in 2006-07. Rondo has led the league in assists per game for a season three times, most recently last year (11.7 apg), and also in 2011-12 (11.7 apg) and 2012-13 (11.1 apg).

In 2015-16, along with the league-leading 11.7 apg, he posted 11.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg and a career-best .365 3-point percentage while notching 37 double-doubles (12th-most in the league) and six triple-doubles (third-most in the league). He and Russell Westbrook were the only two players in the NBA last year to average at least 10.0 ppg, 10.0 apg and 5.0 rpg for the season. Rondo’s 839 total assists ranked first in the NBA, his 1.96 spg ranked seventh, his 35.2 mpg ranked 17th, and he had an assist-to-turnover of 3:1.

Over his career, Rondo has played in 645 regular season games (592 starts) with averages of 11.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 8.7 apg and 1.8 spg in 32.9 mpg. He has made it to the postseason six times, posting 14.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 9.1 apg and 1.9 spg in 38.0 mpg through 94 playoff games (94 starts).

Rajon Rondo to sign with Bulls

The Bulls traded Derrick Rose away this offseason, and Pau Gasol is a free agent. So for now, the team is built around Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson, Robin Lopez and a supporting cast.

The team needs a point guard.

Enter Rajon Rondo.

According to Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Rondo has agreed to sign with the Bulls for two years, $28 million.

Rondo played for the Kings last season and had his best year in a long time, averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 11.7 assists and almost two steals per game, on 45.4% shooting.

Knicks get Derrick Rose

Finals Game 7 was Sunday, the Draft is tomorrow, and you think that would be enough to keep fans busy, yet there are also some big trades dropping: the Knicks got Derrick Rose today, in trade from the Bulls.

Can D-Rose stay healthy? Will he regain his quickness and dominance of the past? And will he mesh with Carmelo Anthony, who tends to hang onto the ball for a while? And will Rose help make young Kristaps Porzingis better?

We already have something to look forward to next season. Fun stuff.

For full trade details, click here: Bulls trade Derrick Rose to Knicks

Pistons trade Spencer Dinwiddie to Bulls for Cameron Bairstow

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an NBA trade. The Detroit Pistons have acquired forward Cameron Bairstow from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Bairstow, 25, appeared in 18 games (two starts) with Chicago last season, averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 5.7 minutes. The two-year NBA pro was drafted out of the University of New Mexico with the 49th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior for the Lobos, he averaged a Mountain West Conference-high 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 32.9 minutes in 34 games (all starts). A native of Brisbane, Australia, Bairstow holds career averages of 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.6 minutes in 36 NBA games (three starts) all with the Bulls.

Dinwiddie, 23, completed his second NBA season with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in 12 games. Drafted by the Pistons with the 38th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Colorado, Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in NBA 46 games (one start).

Jimmy Butler will reportedly represent Bulls at Draft Lottery

The Bulls finished 42-40 this past regular season and failed to qualify for the playoffs. A profound disappointment. Their leading scorer was shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who in 67 games played averaged 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 36.9 minutes per outing. Butler is also the team’s most valuable asset should management decide to make big trades, blow this whole thing up and rebuild the squad from scratch. Will it happen? Here’s the Chicago Tribune with the latest:

It might be time to hold off on those Jimmy Butler trade rumors.

In a sign of commitment not present at management’s season-ending postmortem, the Bulls have asked their two-time All-Star to represent the franchise on the dais at the May 17 NBA draft lottery, sources said.

Butler, who has been working out in Los Angeles, is headed back to Chicago soon. He then is scheduled to travel to New York and join longtime media relations official Matt Yob, who will be the Bulls’ presence in the lottery’s backroom.

The Bulls, sitting 14th as the non-playoff team with the best record, have just an 0.5 percent chance at the top pick and a 1.8 percent chance to move into the top three.

Chemistry between Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler can use improvement

The Chicago Bulls were a banged-up disappointment this season and with a 39-39 record, they may miss the playoffs. Chemistry never fully developed. Key guys were always in and out of the lineup. For more, here’s ESPN.com:

Fred Hoiberg remains convinced that Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler can thrive together for the Chicago Bulls, but the first-year coach acknowledged Wednesday that — given the rash of injuries — “it’s been tough” getting the pair to play well together at the same time this season.

“We’ve had some really good moments with those guys on the floor together this year,” Hoiberg said Wednesday. “It’s been a tough dynamic.

“Derrick will miss three or four games and then put him back in and then just the style of play that you have is different. You have to integrate him back into the lineup. And then Jimmy misses a few games and then gets back in. So it’s been a tough dynamic, and I think you saw a little bit of that [Tuesday] night with Derrick coming back for the first time.

“As far as anything between the two of the them? No. And I think if you asked those two guys, they’d tell you the same thing.”

Draymond Green wants Warriors to beat Bulls all-time season record

Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green stood outside the losing locker room late Saturday night in San Antonio, trying to figure out exactly what his team has to accomplish in their final 13 NBA regular-season games to break the all-time single-season wins record.

When someone suggested that the Warriors need to close the season 10-3 to match the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who won 72 games, Green quickly issued a correction.

“No, we need 11 wins, because we want to break that thing,” Green said. “Hey, we’ve won 11 games in a row this season. There’s nothing we can’t do. It’s possible. We’re going after it, so it’s possible. …

“I’m not going to shy away from saying we want the record. We want the record, and we’re going after it.”

— San Francisco Chronicle