Chicago Bulls Blog – Page 87 – NBA Blog

Chicago Bulls re-sign Lindsey Hunter

The Chicago Bulls today re-signed guard Lindsey Hunter. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Hunter, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, originally signed with the Bulls on Nov. 13, 2008. The 16-year NBA veteran appeared in 28 games with Chicago and averaged 2.6 ppg and 1.3 apg in 9.5 mpg.

For his career, he has posted averages of 8.6 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg and 1.21 spg in 25.0 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .388 from the field, .361 from downtown and .746 from the line.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Hunter is about 73 years old and can barely tie his shoes at this point. He first entered the NBA before electricity existed. He’s basically an assistant coach on the floor. Somewhere, right now, his great-grandchild just hit a winning shot in a pickup basketball game.

Anthony Randolph scores 42 in summer league game

The San Jose Mercury News reports on Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Randolph: Randolph has been perhaps the most dominant player in this year’s summer league. He put together his best performance Tuesday as the Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 95-83 at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. Randolph scored 42 points, tying the record for a Las Vegas summer league game. (Marcus Banks and Von Wafer each scored 42 in 2007.) Randolph also had four steals, three blocked shots and no turnovers. In four games, Randolph is averaging 26.7 points on 60.9 percent shooting with 8.5 rebounds. “He’s very unique,” said Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart, who’s coaching Golden State’s summer league team. “That’s why it’s hard for us to tell him, ‘Don’t do this and don’t do that,’ because his window is so big. We never thought he’d be able to post up and make a play, pass it out or shoot it. We never thought he could face a guy up and shoot a jumper.”

Chicago Bulls buy out, waive Tim Thomas

The Chicago Bulls today made a settlement with forward Tim Thomas. In accordance with that move, the Bulls have requested waivers on Thomas. ESPN reports that Thomas had one season left (at nearly $6.5 million) on his deal.

Thomas joined the Bulls on Feb. 19, 2009 in a four-player trade with the New York Knicks. In 18 regular season games with Chicago last season, he averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 14.1 mpg, and shot .400 from the field, .442 from downtown and .700 from the line. The 32-year old Thomas has averaged 11.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 apg and 14.1 mpg for six different teams over his 12-year career in the NBA.

Chicago Bulls sign Jannero Pargo

The Chicago Bulls today signed free agent Jannero Pargo. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Pargo, a 6-1, 185-pound guard, reunites with Chicago having played for his hometown Bulls from 2003-06. A six-year NBA veteran, Pargo played overseas in 2008-09, where he split time between the MBC Dynamo Moscow (Russian Super League) and Olympiacos B.C. (Greek League/Euroleague).

In addition to playing with the Bulls, Pargo has also played for the Los Angeles Lakers (2002-04), Toronto Raptors (2004) and the New Orleans Hornets (2006-08). In 316 regular season contests in the NBA, he has averaged 6.9 ppg, 2.1 apg and 1.6 rpg in 16.2 mpg. A .365 career shooter from behind the arc, he also owns career shooting averages of .395 from the field and .849 from the line. He has played in 33 playoff games, and posted postseason averages of 6.5 ppg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 rpg, 14.8 mpg, .374 from the field, .368 from behind the arc and .711 from the line.

Chicago Bulls sign 2009 first round draft picks James Johnson and Taj Gibson

The Chicago Bulls announced today the signings of 2009 first round draft picks James Johnson and Taj Gibson. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

First round draft picks are guaranteed to receive NBA contracts from the team that selected them, assuming they want to come to the league right away, so this is standard.

Johnson (6-9, 245) was drafted 16th overall by Chicago after spending two seasons at Wake Forest. In his two seasons with the Demon Deacons, he started 59 of his 61 appearances and averaged 14.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.44 bpg. He also shot .514 from the field and .692 from the free throw line. As a sophomore, he led Wake Forest in rebounds (8.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (.542) and was second on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg). Johnson, 22, was named Third-Team All-ACC after both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Gibson (6-9, 225) was the Bulls’ second selection in NBA Draft 2009 and the 26th pick overall. He played in 105 games over three seasons with Southern California and averaged 12.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.41 bpg, 1.5 apg and shot

.580 from the floor. The Second-Team All-Conference and Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year led the Trojans in many categories as a junior in 2008-09, including marks of 9.0 rpg, 2.86 bpg, and .601 field goal shooting. Gibson, 24, is USC’s all-time leader in shots blocked with 253 (2.41 bpg), and also ranks third all-time in the Pac-10 Conference in blocks.

Both rookies will make their professional debuts when the Bulls open their 2009 NBA Summer League schedule in Las Vegas on July 14 versus Golden State.

Johnson will wear No. 16 and Gibson, No. 22.

Report: Detroit Pistons, Ben Gordon agree to deal

The Detroit Pistons already have a great shooting guard in Richard Hamilton and a decent young guard in Rodney Stuckey, but they’re reportedly about to add some potent scoring ability to their backcourt.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo reports that, according to a source, the team has reached an agreement with free-agent guard Ben Gordon on a five-year contract worth around $55 million.

Last season Gordon averaged 20.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 45.5% shooting (41.0% three-pointers) per game for the Bulls. He’s played for Chicago since entering the NBA in the 2004-05 season.

If the Pistons were to play small-ball, with Stuckey at point, Gordon at shooting guard and Hamilton at small forward, it would be one of the most undersized lineups in the league. Gordon is very strong, but has the height of a point guard. Hamilton is a very thin two-guard. So should the team put Gordon at the point, even though he’s definitely not a true floor general?

It’s also possible that Gordon is used as a scorer off the bench, similarly to how the Chicago Bulls used him for much of his time there. But generally, when a team pays a player $11 million per season, they expect the player to start.

Tough to say how Gordon will fit next to Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince.

The team is reportedly also trying to add free agent power forward Charlie Villanueva, among others.

More tonight.

Chicago Bulls hire Randy Brown as Director of Player Development

The Chicago Bulls announced today that Randy Brown has been hired as Director of Player Development. In accordance with club policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

“We are excited to have Randy back in the Bulls organization in his role as Director of Player Development,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “In this new role, Randy will work with players before and after practice, overseeing on-court skills development. As a former player and coach in our league, I feel Randy’s experience will be of great benefit to our young players in numerous areas of their development.”

Brown, 41, joins the Bulls after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings. A 12-year veteran of the NBA, Brown played for the Sacramento Kings (1991-1995), Chicago Bulls (1995-2000), Boston Celtics (2000-02), and Phoenix Suns (2002-03). During his five seasons as a member of the Bulls, the Chicago native was a member of three NBA Championship teams (1996, 1997, 1998), including the 1996 squad that won an NBA-record 72 games during the regular season.

“It’s great to be back with the Bulls, and come home to Chicago once again. The Bulls are one of the best organizations in the NBA, one that I have always had a fondness for,” said Brown. “I look forward to getting started, and working with our players to help them advance and strengthen their skills.”

Originally drafted by the Kings in the second round (31st overall) of the 1991 NBA Draft, Brown appeared in 655 contests and finished his career with averages of 4.8 ppg, 2.2 apg and 1.8 rpg in 17.6 mpg.

NBA team, D-League team affiliations announced

The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2009-10 season, including the announcement of a direct single-affiliation partnership between the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the fifth consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League affiliate to which it may assign players in their first or second NBA season.

The Rockets became the first NBA team to enter into a direct single-affiliation partnership with an NBA D-League team, granting the Rockets full control over the basketball operations of the Vipers. With the move, the Rockets will be the only parent-club of the team.

In a structure similar to other minor leagues, this new partnership model, previously referred to as the “hybrid affiliation,” allows for NBA teams to secure control over and cover the expenses related to the basketball operations of an NBA D-League team, while partnering with existing local ownership, who maintain responsibility for the off-the-court business operations of the team.

The list of affiliations is on our NBA D-League page.

James Johnson comes from kickboxing family

The Chicago Tribune (K.C. Johnson) reports: For James Johnson, fighting is a family thing. The Bulls’ affable first round NBA draft pick detailed Thursday how he grew up the middle of nine children in Cheyenne, Wyo., surrounded by black belt kickboxers. Johnson’s father, Willie, is an ex-marine who won seven world kickboxing championships and runs J & P’s Martial Arts school in Cheyenne. Eight of Willie’s children, including James, are black belts in the sport with only James’ 10-year-old sister currently sporting just a blue belt. Johnson said he went 20-0 in kickboxing bouts before “retiring.”

Derrick Rose statement on flashing gang-sign

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has issued a statement in response to this photo that has been circulating:

Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign. This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke…a bad one, I now admit. I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence. I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent.

In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities.

Read fan discussion and post your own opinion in this forum topic.