Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 76 – NBA Blog

Bulls, Joakim Noah talking extension

ESPNChicago reports:

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah wants to sign a long-term deal with the team and hopes to have one done before the season begins in October.

Noah said his agent, Donald Dell, has already started discussing the parameters of a deal with Bulls general manager Gar Forman and the 25-year-old is confident the parties can work something out in the near future…

Noah, who will make $3.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, would become a restricted free agent next season unless the Bulls extend his contract.

The ongoing negotiations are a major reason why Noah decided not to play for the French National Team this summer during the World Championships in Turkey.

Ben Gordon chooses rehab over playing for Great Britain

Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press reports:

Pistons guard Ben Gordon had a tough decision.

Ben Gordon chooses rehab over playing for Great Britain

After having surgery to remove bone spurs in his left ankle in late April, Gordon wore a cast for three weeks and thought he would be ready to play for Great Britain’s national team this summer in preparation for October’s training camp with the Pistons.

However, when his ankle wasn’t healing as quickly as Gordon would have liked, he decided to focus on getting ready for the season instead of playing for Britain.

He already had been through a season with the Pistons in which he battled ankle, hamstring and groin issues. He’s intent on fans seeing a healthy shooting guard this season.

Andres Nocioni sprains ankle while training for Argentina

Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports:

The 76ers’ Andres Nocioni sprained his left ankle Friday while training with Argentina’s national team and is out indefinitely pending results of X-rays and an MRI exam.

A report in Argentina suggested Nocioni could be out for roughly 20 days.

Ed Stefanski, the Sixers’ president/general manager, said he was awaiting the test results, which will be forwarded to the Sixers’ medical staff.

Dennis Rodman OK after car flips on highway

The AP reports:

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman walked away unhurt after riding in an SUV that flipped over on an interstate in South Florida.

Sgt. Mark Wysocky of the Florida Highway Patrol said Rodman and another passenger weren’t injured in the single-vehicle crash on Saturday on Interstate 95 near Fort Lauderdale. The driver was taken to a hospital.

Wysocky said the Land Rover flipped over after having a tire problem. No charges are expected…

Rodman had just returned to the U.S. from the Caribbean island of St. Tropez, where he had a disc-jockey gig.

Another arrest warrant issued for Eddy Curry

Samuel Goldsmith of the New York Daily News reports:

A Chicago judge has issued an arrest warrant for the troubled New York Knicks center for the second time since June, it was reported yesterday.

The judge signed the warrant after learning the ballplayer hasn’t finished paying a $660,000 payout for sex with an underage girl, the Chicago Sun Times said.

The payout stems from a 2001 case in which Curry, then 18, was sued for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He agreed to settlement in 2007, but still owes nearly $200,000.

Trail Blazers hire Bernie Bickerstaff, Bob Ociepka and Buck Williams as assistant coaches

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that Head Coach Nate McMillan has finalized his coaching staff for the 2010-11 season with the hiring of Bernie Bickerstaff, Bob Ociepka and Buck Williams.

Bickerstaff, Ociepka and Williams join assistant coaches Bill Bayno and Kaleb Canales to complete McMillan’s staff.

“After many interviews, I’m excited to bring a new balance and chemistry to the team,” said McMillan. “The Bs – Bernie, Bob and Buck – will be a great addition to the Trail Blazers family and to our community. I’ve added a lot of experience to my bench, and I feel they will help the team continue to grow and take the next step.”

Bickerstaff, 66, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls as part of an extensive NBA career that began in 1973 as an assistant coach at Washington and led to head coaching positions with Seattle (1985-90), Denver (1995-96), Washington (1997-99) and Charlotte (2004-07).

Bickerstaff helped guide Washington to the 1978 NBA Championship as an assistant coach. Ranked 36th on the NBA’s all-time wins list (415), he was head coach of the SuperSonics during McMillan’s first four seasons in Seattle and was named the 1987 NBA Coach of the Year with the club.

Bickerstaff served as general manager of the Denver Nuggets (1990-97) and Charlotte Bobcats (2004-07), and as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Bobcats (2007-08).

Ociepka, 61, also joins the Trail Blazers from the Bulls, where the Chicago native was an assistant coach for the past two seasons. With 20 years of NBA experience, Ociepka (pronounced o-SEEP-ka) spent time as an assistant coach with Minnesota (2006-08), Milwaukee (2003-06), Detroit (1998-99, 2001-03), Cleveland (1999-2001), Philadelphia (1996-97), L.A. Clippers (1993-96) and Indiana (1989-93). He also served as a scout with Detroit and Orlando.

Williams, who needs no introduction to Trail Blazers fans, was the team’s power forward from 1989-96 and helped lead Portland to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 as Western Conference Champions. Williams, 50, is the team’s all-time leader in field goal percentage (55.0%), ranks fourth in rebounds (4,861), seventh in games played (557) and ninth in minutes played (17,130). A hard-nosed, physical player, Williams’ streak of 196 consecutive games played is the third longest in franchise history.

One of nine players in NBA history to amass 16,000 points and 13,000 rebounds, the three-time All-Star and 1982 NBA Rookie of the Year also played for New Jersey and New York during his 17-year NBA career.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Williams will also serve as a community ambassador for the Trail Blazers joining the likes of fellow ambassadors: Harry Glickman, Dale Schlueter, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter, Chris Dudley and Brian Grant.

Poll results: Best teams in league

An InsideHoops.com poll started on July 17 asking readers to select the five best teams in the NBA gave some expected results.

The league champion Los Angeles Lakers, receiving 3,540 votes, got more support than any team, followed by the Miami Heat (3,151 votes), Orlando Magic (2,931) and Boston Celtics (2,900).

The other two teams to receive over 1,000 votes were the Chicago Bulls (1,426), who added Carlos Boozer this summer, and Oklahoma City Thunder (1,149), a talented young team featuring star Kevin Durant.

The Dallas Mavericks (873) also received support.

Bulls sign F/C Kurt Thomas

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent forward/center Kurt Thomas. In accordance with team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Thomas (6-9, 230), a 15-year NBA veteran, most recently played with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2009-10 campaign. Last year, he appeared in 70 games and averaged 3.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg in 15.0 mpg and shot .476 from the field and .800 from the line.

The Dallas, Texas., native has enjoyed stints with the Bucks (2009-10), San Antonio Spurs (2008-09, 2007-08), Seattle Supersonics (2007-08), Phoenix Suns (2005-07), New York Knicks (1998-2005), Dallas Mavericks (1997-98) and Miami Heat (1995-97). In 966 career games, Thomas has posted averages of 8.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 apg in 25.7 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .485 from the field and .765 from the line.

Originally selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (10th overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft, the 37-year old Thomas has been a member of 10 playoff teams. In 89 playoff games, he has averaged 5.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 20.4 mpg.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Good move by the Bulls. Thomas can mentor Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, and teach them the hard-nosed tricks of the trade.

Derrick Rose thinks Tracy McGrady would help Bulls

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

With the recent addition of Kurt Thomas, the Bulls have 11 players locked up and will be looking to add one more player — preferably a guard — to the roster in the next week or so.

Derrick Rose made it clear Friday he hopes that player is Tracy McGrady.

”I think that if he comes along he can help our team,” Rose said after the Team USA workout at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. ”A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think he’ll help us.”

That depends on the health of McGrady, who has had multiple surgeries on his left knee, including microfracture surgery about a year and a half ago.

Warriors sign-and-trade CJ Watson to Bulls

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has acquired the signed-and-traded contract of guard C.J. Watson from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for a future second-round draft choice. Golden State will be receiving the lesser of Phoenix’s and Utah’s regular 2011 second-round draft choices, both of which are held by the Bulls.

Watson (6-2, 175) comes to the Bulls having played the last three seasons with the Warriors. Last year, the 26-year-old Watson appeared in 65 games (15 starts) and averaged 10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.58 spg, 27.5 mpg, .468 from the field, .310 from behind the arc and .771 from the line. In his three years with Golden State, he appeared in 174 games (33 starts) and he owns career averages of 8.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 2.3 rpg, 1.23 spg, 23.2 mpg, .459 shooting from the field, .351 shooting from downtown and .822 shooting from the line.

Following his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, he went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. From there, Watson split the 2006-07 season playing in Italy and Greece. He then played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League in 2007-08 before his free agent call-up with the Warriors.