Derrick Rose Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Walton, Jaric, Pistons

October 7th, 2012 at 7:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls have had the best record in the NBA for two consecutive seasons, but with Derrick Rose out, they could have a tough time simply recording the best record in the Central Division this year, with the Pacers waiting to pounce. The Bucks, Cavs and Pistons probably aren't division title contenders this year, but they're all arguably improved from last season, meaning the Central figures to be more competitive than it has been in recent years. We'll round up the latest from the division here:

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that playing without Rose will not be an unprecedented situation for the Bulls. The 2011 MVP missed 27 games in the 2011/12 season.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets that there is a 50-50 chance Cavs coach Byron Scott will begin to cut players from the training camp roster after Cleveland's Tuesday preseason game.
Luke Walton said this week the Cavs haven't approached him about a buyout, but Bob Finnan of the News-Herald believes it isn't out of the question that the team would let him go. Walton is due $6.091MM this year in the final season of a six-year, $30MM contract.
Scott is impressed with Walton's conditioning, and the 32-year-old forward says he's in better shape than he's been in the past four years, reports Schmitt Boyer. "Can he make the team? Yeah, I think he can make the team, to be honest with you," Scott said. "We’ve got some other tough decisions that I have to make in the next couple of weeks, but right now I’m enjoying the fact that these guys are making it hard on me, which is good."
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune checks in with Marko Jaric as he tries to return to the NBA with the Bulls. Chicago doesn't have enough money under its $70.307MM hard cap to put Jaric on the regular season roster for opening day, but the Bulls would be able to add him in late November, when the veteran's minimum pro-rates down to a figure that will fit.
MLive's David Mayo chronicles the struggles that Pistons rookies are having in camp, and says big man Slava Kravtsov appears to be the farthest along of any of them right now.

Derrick Rose Helped Bulls Recruit Kirk Hinrich

October 2nd, 2012 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Although Derrick Rose has expressed a reluctance in the past to take an active role in recruiting free agents, that stance came to an end this summer, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Rose told media in Chicago yesterday that he played a role in helping the Bulls attract Kirk Hinrich in free agency.

"Kirk is someone I could see playing alongside a long time," Rose said. "When you’re a hooper and you know someone on the court is going into a battle with you, and he’s not giving up if he knows you are going to keep battling and I’m someone that will keep fighting to the end, and he’s the same as you, so why not have him on the team? Kirk is the first person I recruited."

As Shams Charania of RealGM.com writes, Rose has talked in the past about wanting to stay out of the team's personnel decisions and leaving that to the front office. However, Charania says Rose sent a "clear message" yesterday that he wants to see the Bulls add players that are passionate to play in Chicago.

"My teammates, they want to be here," Rose said. "It isn’t no trade thing. The people that want to be here, they’re here for a reason: It’s because they want to be here."

Hinrich, who signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Bulls is expected to step in for Rose during the season's first half, while the All-Star point guard recovers from his ACL injury.

Odds & Ends: George, Bobcats, Wade, Cole

October 1st, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

On this busy Monday night, here's a look at some random bits of news from around the league.

Paul George is aiming to make the All-Star game this season, writes NBA.com's Mark Montieth.
The Bobcats have promised no positions in the starting lineup according to new head coach Mike Dunlap, writes the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
Heat guard Dwyane Wade has left the Jordan brand and will join the Chinese shoe company Li-Ning, according to ESPN.com's Jared Zwerling.
According to a tweet from HoopsHype.com, Julian Wright is considering an offer from Israel's Maccabi Rishon LeZion. He'll make an offer in the middle of this week.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman gives a detailed list of all the available free agents still left on the market.
Coming off a championship rookie season, Heat guard Norris Cole has worked hard this summer to improve all different aspects of his game, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Shandel Richardson.
Derrick Rose begins cutting drills in two weeks, and is vowing he'll be an even better player upon his return, writes the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
Heading into a contract year, the Sixers are hoping Jrue Holiday can emerge into a leadership role, writes CSNPhilly.com's John Finger.

Derrick Rose On Rehab, Bulls’ Offseason

September 13th, 2012 at 5:57pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press (via the Star Tribune) hears that Derrick Rose's surgically repaired knee is getting better and that he has been able to start jumping just "a couple of days ago." The Bulls guard recently unveiled his new sneaker and apparel line with Adidas, where both he and his older brother Reggie later spoke glowingly about his progression this summer. On a related note, Adam Fluck of Bulls.com recently caught up with the former MVP to ask him about his recovery and thoughts on the Chicago's acquisitions this offseason. Here are more highlights from the interview..

On the overall development of his rehab:

“I got through the hard part I think…At first, I couldn’t believe it at all. But now, I have a lot of confidence in myself…I appreciate everything—bending my leg, getting rid of my crutches and braces, sleeping without the brace..I could go on and on, but I know where I’ve come from and I’ll never forget that. That’s why I say it’s going to make me a better player…My rehab is good, my leg is getting a lot stronger and I’m able to run a little bit more. My body is feeling good. I’m in a peaceful place right now.”

"I don’t know what to expect (when I return), I just know it’s going to be something good. It won’t just surprise you; it’s going to surprise me as well.”

On the Bulls re-acquiring Kirk Hinrich:

"…knowing what kind of player he is, as well as the type of person that he is—he’s a guy who wants to win. You’ve got to go with that, if anything. I’m the same way where I want to win at everything. So I know that I’m going to have somebody back there who is going to be fighting with me.”

Regarding the large influx of new reserves and the departure of many teammates:

“I’m going to miss those guys knowing what we went through those two years together…We were the ones that helped build this Bulls image—we played hard. For them to be gone, I’ll definitely miss them, but it’s the league and things change. We’ve got to work with the guys that we have now. We’re still young, we’re hungry and we want to win. I’m with my teammates no matter what.”

Page On Mavs, Lakers, Bulls

August 18th, 2012 at 6:22pm CST by Sean Highkin

Derek Page of HoopsWorld conducted his weekly NBA chat Saturday, where he touched on several relevant topics, including the offseason moves and futures of the Mavs, Bulls, and Lakers, among other teams. Here are the highlights:

Page thinks it is unlikely that the Mavericks will keep O.J. Mayo beyond this season, because if he plays well, he will command a higher salary than the Mavs would like to give him.
He believes Antawn Jamison will be a better acquisition for the Lakers than Lamar Odom will be for the Clippers.
Page doesn't foresee any more moves for the Lakers, who appear to have a set roster.
It will be difficult for the Thunder to keep James Harden if he hits restricted free agency, writes Page.
Page is surprised Leandro Barbosa has not been signed yet, pointing to the 29-year-old as a possible value signing.
Page would like to see the present Bulls roster with a healthy Derrick Rose before weighing in on moves they should make.

Nugent On Bulls’ Future

August 4th, 2012 at 7:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld has a new column discussing the Chicago Bulls' playoff hopes for the 2012/13 season, as they cope with the loss of Derrick Rose to a torn ACL:

Nugent believes the losses of Omer Asik, Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson, and Ronnie Brewer will weaken Chicago's bench, as Taj Gibson will be left as the sole remaining member of the unit that many believed was the best bench in the NBA last season.
Nugent considers Marco Belinelli to be a downgrade from Korver as the team's designated three-point specialist.
While Kirk Hinrich has proven a capable veteran presence, Nugent points out that injuries have been a concern with the Bulls' newly signed point guard.
Regardless, Nugent expects the Bulls to make the playoffs this season, even if much of their title contention hope rests with Rose's recovery timetable.

Bulls Notes: Rose, Asik, Belinelli, Gibson

July 23rd, 2012 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest piece for the Chicago Tribune, K.C. Johnson recalls a statement Bulls GM Gar Forman made less than a month ago, on draft night: "Our decisions this summer will be basketball decisions, not financial decisions." Based on the Bulls' moves so far this offseason, particularly with the team on the verge of losing Omer Asik and getting nothing in return, it's hard to argue that finances haven't been strongly considered, as Johnson writes. Here are a few Bulls-related updates from his column:

Derrick Rose will "likely" be out until March, according to Johnson. We'd heard before that Rose probably wouldn't be back until the new year, but if the March ETA is accurate, that would mean the star point guard would miss most of the regular season.
The Bulls still plan to clear major cap space for the summer of 2014 to be a player on the free agent market. Luol Deng's contract will expire that summer, and Carlos Boozer will likely be amnestied by then, leaving Rose and Joakim Noah as the only big investments left on the team's books. If Chicago is hoping to clear enough space for a maximum-salary player that summer, it's a little easier to understand why the club wouldn't want Asik's $14.9MM salary for 2014/15.
Speaking of Asik, the Bulls still haven't officially informed the Rockets of their decision on the center's offer sheet, but league sources tell Johnson that Rockets management believes Houston will land Asik.
The Bulls "appear close" to signing Marco Belinelli, as we heard on Friday. As Johnson points out, spending the bi-annual exception on Belinelli would hard-cap the Bulls at about $74.3MM this season, and with payroll already approaching that figure, I'd be surprised if the team imposed that kind of inflexibility on itself. We'll see if the Bulls can land Belinelli for the veteran's minimum instead.
Extension negotiations for Taj Gibson are "next on the docket" for Chicago, says Johnson.
Johnson adds that one factor to watch this year as the Bulls weigh "basketball decisions" and "financial decisions" is whether the team spends the $5MM trade exception acquired in the Kyle Korver deal.

Bulls Notes: Rose, Asik, Howard, Hinrich

July 12th, 2012 at 10:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Derrick Rose's road to recovery appears to be progressing along nicely according to his brother Reggie, who says that the Bulls superstar is "way ahead of schedule." Rose is now walking without a brace and is currently in California enjoying a quiet retreat from Chicago in the meantime (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago has the report). Here's what else we've heard out of Chicago tonight, including more on Omer Asik, thoughts on Dwight Howard, and a returning Bull..

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Hawks, Rose

June 19th, 2012 at 7:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…

Bulls GM Talks Draft, Rose, Asik, Mirotic

June 15th, 2012 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Despite an early and disappointing end to this year's season, Bulls GM Gar Forman remains optimistic about his team's long-term future. Forman appeared on BullsTV this week to answer fans' questions, and opened up a little on a few topics, including his plans for the draft, Derrick Rose's rehab, and the futures of a couple young big men. Here are some of the highlights from the GM, courtesy of Adam Fluck at Bulls.com….