Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 62 – NBA Blog

Rip Hamilton in starting lineup for Bulls tonight

Not only will Richard Hamilton makes his Bulls debut Tuesday, he’ll be a starter.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau ended the speculation after the team’s Tuesday-morning shootaround.

“He’s going to play,” said Thibodeau. “We’re going to change up [the starting lineup. Rip’s going to start tonight; Ronnie [Brewer is] going to be with the second unit.”

“We’ll see when [Hamilton] gets out there, what he can handle, he added. “I just want to see improvement from our last game…I’d like to see us take better care of the ball, I’d like to see us finish our defense better, so those are two of the primary things.”

— Reported by Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago

Chicago Bulls waive guard Jannero Pargo

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Jannero Pargo.

Pargo (6-1, 185) signed with the Bulls last season (03/20/11) and did not appear in a game following his arrival. He spent 14 games on Chicago’s Inactive List.

In 379 regular season contests in the NBA, Pargo has averaged 6.6 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 rpg in 15.7 mpg.

Chicago Bulls waive guard Keith Bogans

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived guard Keith Bogans.

Bogans (6-5, 215) started all 82 games for Chicago last season and posted averages of 4.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 apg in 17.8 mpg. He also shot .404 from the field, .380 from downtown and .656 from the line.

With the addition of shooting guard Rip Hamilton, the Bulls obviously felt that Bogans’ services were no longer required.

Chicago Bulls sign guard Richard Hamilton

The Chicago Bulls announced this evening the team has signed free agent guard Richard Hamilton. According to the Chicago Tribune, “As reported since Sunday, the deal is guaranteed for two years and $10 million. According to sources, the Bulls hold a team option of $5.15 million for a third season. If the option is not exercised, Hamilton receives an unknown buyout.”

“We are excited to welcome a player, and person, with the credentials of Richard Hamilton to our organization,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “Rip has been a winner at every level. His resume speaks for itself, and we are confident that he will be an excellent fit with our team, both on and off the floor.”

Hamilton (6-7, 193) is a 12-year veteran of the NBA who comes to Chicago after spending the previous nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons. For his career, he has appeared in 843 regular season contests (710 starts), and has posted averages of 17.7 ppg, 3.5 apg and 3.2 rpg in 33.0 mpg. He also owns career shooting averages of .450 from the field, .347 from behind the arc and .852 from the line. Last season with the Pistons, he played in 55 games (39 starts) and averaged 14.1 ppg, 3.1 apg and 2.3 rpg in 27.2 mpg. He also shot .429 from the field, .382 from downtown and .849 from the free throw line.

A three-time All-Star selection (2006-08) while in Detroit, Hamilton helped lead the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight times (2003-08), including two trips to the NBA Finals (2004, 2005), which culminated with Detroit winning its third NBA Championship in 2004. During his nine years with the Pistons (2002-11), he led the team in scoring eight times.

Hamilton’s teams have advanced to the playoffs seven times, where he has appeared in 120 playoff games (all starts). He owns career playoff averages of 20.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.00 spg, 40.0 mpg, .441 shooting from the floor, .337 three-point shooting and .862 shooting from the stripe.

The 33-year old native of Coatesville, Pa., was originally selected by the Washington Wizards in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. Prior to his time in the NBA, he was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 1999 NCAA Final Four, when he led UConn to the 1999 NCAA Championship.

Read NBA fan opinion or share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Scottie Pippen suing media outlets over bankruptcy claims

Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen has filed a lawsuit against multiple media outlets, claiming they falsely reported that he went bankrupt.

The 46-year-old Pippen, who retired in 2004 with six NBA championships, said he has not been worth less than $40 million in the past 10 years.

A lawsuit filed in Illinois and obtained by TMZ on Tuesday states, “It is a most foul libel indeed to be falsely accused of being bankrupt.

— Reported by NewsCore

Chicago Bulls re-sign Brian Scalabrine

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has re-signed forward Brian Scalabrine. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Scalabrine (6-9, 235) saw action in 18 games last season with the Bulls and averaged 1.1 ppg in 4.9 mpg.

The 10-year NBA veteran has played in 492 regular season contests, and posted averages of 3.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and in 13.5 mpg. In 39 playoff games, he has averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 10.6 mpg.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 12 players.

Raptors sign forward Rasual Butler

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have signed veteran free-agent forward Rasual Butler. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

Butler is a veteran of nine NBA campaigns where he has averaged 8.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 23.9 minutes in 604 regular season outings. He has shot at a .361 per cent clip from three-point range (758-2097). Butler has also made 30 appearances in the playoffs, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 13.4 minutes. He has connected on 25 of 59 three-pointers (.424) in postseason play.

Butler, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds split last season between the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls. His best statistical season came in 2009-10 with the Clippers when he averaged career bests of 11.9 points and 33.0 minutes in 82 games (64 starts). He set a club record for made three-pointers in a season with 145. He tallied 20-plus points five times, including two games with 30 or more points. In 2008-09 with New Orleans, he averaged 11.2 points and 31.9 minutes in 82 games, with a career-best 74 starts. He also averaged a career playoff-best 10.6 points and 31.6 minutes in five postseason outings with the Hornets. In 2005, he helped Miami reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

A second-round selection by Miami (53rd overall) in the 2002 NBA Draft, Butler has seen action with the Heat, Hornets, Clippers and Bulls. He has scored a career-high 33 points on two occasions (last: vs. Cleveland, 1/16/10) and grabbed a personal-best 11 rebounds twice (last: vs. Orlando, 1/16/07).

Butler saw action in 110 games with LaSalle University, averaging 19.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in his four years with the Explorers. He was a two-time first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection, as well as a two-time first-team All-Big Five choice.

Heat sign center Eddy Curry

— via the Heat

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent center Eddy Curry. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Curry, a nine-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 511 games (410 starts) and averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 25.4 minutes while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 64.2 percent from the foul line. He last played for the New York Knicks appearing in 222 games (208 starts) and averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 28.5 minutes while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. He is currently New York’s all-time franchise leader in field goal percentage (1,228-of-2,180). Additionally, his 57.6 percent shooting from the field during the 2006-07 campaign stands as the second-best single-season mark in Knickerbockers history.

He has ranked among the NBA’s Top 5 players in field goal percentage four times over his career. He finished first in 2002-03 (.585), second in 2005-06 (.563), fourth in 2006-07 (.576) and fifth in 2004-05 (.538). After leading the NBA in field goal percentage during the 2002-03 season, he became the first Chicago Bull to lead the NBA in a major stat category since Michael Jordan in 1997-98 (scoring, 28.7) and the first Chicago player to pace the league in field goal percentage since Artis Gilmore in 1981-82 (.652).

Curry was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (4th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft, the youngest draft choice in their franchise’s history.

InsideHoops.com hears that Curry has lost 50-70 pounds and is in good shape right now.

Read NBA fan reaction or share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Bulls meet with Caron Butler

In their search to find an upgrade at shooting guard, the Chicago Bulls met with free agent Caron Butler on Monday.

A league source termed the meetings with Butler as “positive.”

Butler, 31, has averaged almost 17 points a game throughout his career, but missed most of last season with the Dallas Mavericks after rupturing a tendon in his right knee on Jan. 1. The Mavs’ starting small forward at the beginning of last season, Butler was emerging as their second-leading scorer while splitting time with Shawn Marion.

“That went great,” Butler tweeted after his meeting with Bulls personnel. “Now headed to the west …”

— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com

Las Vegas NBA odds say Heat will win 2012 championship

The Las Vegas oddsmakers are banking on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat to get back to the NBA Finals in 2011-12, and once again the folks in Sin City view the Heat as the favorites to win it all.

Miami’s Big Three, runners-up a year ago, are listed at 2-to-1 to take home the title in the truncated NBA season.

“There was very heavy betting on the Heat at the start of last season because you have LeBron and Chris Bosh and they’re saying that they’ll win seven championships,” Benjamin Lee Eckstein of AmericasLine.com said. “Once again this year they’re the immediate favorites.”

— Reported by Bernie Augustine of the New York Daily News

InsideHoops.com editor says: We have a ton of NBA free agents who still need to find homes and plenty of trades that may materialize, but just based on the core players each team has under contract right now, this certainly seems reasonable.