Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Taj Gibson

Stein On Extension Candidates, Boozer, Paul

October 17th, 2012 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, TNT's David Aldridge shared the latest rumors and rumblings he'd heard about this year's fourth-year extension candidates. ESPN.com's Marc Stein follows suit today, and while much of what he's hearing is along the same lines as Aldridge's updates, there's still enough new info that it's worth rounding up the highlights….

  • Despite chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's apparent aversion to early extensions, it's still likely that the Bulls and Taj Gibson work something out this month, and that the team will eventually release Carlos Boozer using the amensty clause.
  • An extension for Ty Lawson remains more a question of "when" than "if," sources tells Stein.
  • The Raptors seem to "want to be wowed" by DeMar DeRozan in the 2012/13 season before committing to him long-term.
  • The Bobcats aren't expected to lock Gerald Henderson up to an extension unless the terms are very team-friendly.
  • Although the Hawks like Jeff Teague, they'll likely hold off on committing future cap space to a point guard until they're 100% sure they can't lure Chris Paul to Atlanta.
  • Extensions for Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can safely be ruled out as the Mavericks attempt to preserve next summer's cap room.
  • Stein also believes Stephen Curry and James Harden are likely to be extended, and that a new deal for Jrue Holiday is possible. However, he classifies the rest of this offseason's extension candidates as unlikely to receive long-term contracts by Halloween.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Bulls Notes: Hinrich, Gibson, Belinelli, Radmanovic

October 16th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have made a pair of camp cuts so far, waiving both Andre Emmett and Vance Cooksey, but a few more moves are still to come. Even with two roster spots available, Kyrylo Fesenko, Marko Jaric, and Ryan Allen are long shots to make the club, considering the Bulls are only about $758K from their hard cap for the season. Here are the latest links out of Chicago:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Aldridge On Extension Candidates

October 15th, 2012 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The latest Morning Tip piece from TNT's David Aldridge is up at NBA.com, and focuses on the first round of the 2009 draft class, most of whom are eligible for contract extensions this month. However, Aldridge doesn't expect many new deals to be inked, since the new CBA doesn't give players a ton of incentive to sign early.

"Now (that) you can only give the same amount of years that they can get next summer, the player isn't as interested," one team executive told Aldridge. "Now, you have no advantage. I used to be able to say 'I can give you a year more today than you can get next year. So let's talk about a deal and maybe the number is more realistic.' But they've taken that away."

Here's what Aldridge has heard on a number of extension candidates:

  • The Kings will "probably not" be offering Tyreke Evans an extension, Aldridge hears from a source.
  • Things are "pretty quiet" on the Brandon Jennings front, and Aldridge isn't expecting him to work out a long-term extension with the Bucks.
  • DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors aren't close to a deal, but have been talking for weeks. Aldridge cautions not to rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching an agreement.
  • Aldridge does, however, essentially rule out extensions for Austin Daye (Pistons) and James Johnson (Kings).
  • Jrue Holiday's agent will touch base with the 76ers later this week about a possible extension.
  • Ty Lawson of the Nuggets is the one player that everyone around the league believes will sign a long-term deal by Halloween.
  • The Hawks are talking to Jeff Teague about a new deal, but Aldridge thinks it's unlikely the team commits to anything yet when it could have so much cap space available next summer.
  • Agent Mark Bartelstein on Taj Gibson and the Bulls: "They've made it clear they'd like to sign Taj. They're making an effort, and so are we… if we can get something done that everybody feels good about, great. If not, I'm sure he'll have a great year."
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Central Rumors: Gibson, Thomas, West, Kravtsov

October 3rd, 2012 at 6:30pm CST by Chuck Myron
There's plenty of news out of the Central Division this evening, so let's jump right in.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Central Notes: Bulls, Gibson, Pistons, Allen

October 2nd, 2012 at 8:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of the Central Division..

  • The Bulls and Taj Gibson have been talking about a possible extension since June, but the forward says that he isn't preoccupied with the contract talk, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.  Yesterday, it was reported that the two sides are "getting closer" on agreeing to a long-term extension.  For his part, Gibson has said that he would like to remain in Chicago.
  • For the Pistons to have success in 2012/13, they'll need further development from their young players and an immediate impact from the newcomers, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.  Forward/Center Greg Monroe is among those who need to take the next big leap in Goodwill's view.
  • Despite his brother Tony Allen's ties to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, Ryan Allen is a long shot to make Chicago's roster, as Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com writes.  However, it helps that like his older brother, the younger Allen also very defensive-minded – an obvious plus with Thibodeau.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Bulls, Taj Gibson Making Progress On Extension

October 1st, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls fans received some good news today when the team announced that head coach Tom Thibodeau had agreed to a four-year extension to remain in Chicago. According to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com, Thibodeau may not be the only one extended by the Bulls this month. Sam tweets that Taj Gibson and the Bulls are "getting closer" to a long-term extension.

This isn't the first time we've heard optimism about the possibility of Gibson and the Bulls reaching an agreement on a new contract before Halloween. On September 22nd, agent Mark Bartelstein told Shams Charania of RealGM.com that he was confident about getting a deal done, and that his client "loves being a Bull."

When the Bulls let Omer Asik sign with the Rockets earlier this offseason, there was speculation that an anticipated long-term deal for Gibson was part of the reasoning behind the team's decision. Ryan Raroque of Hoops Rumors examined Gibson's extension candicacy shortly after Asik left, concluding that a deal worth about $6MM annually could work for both sides. I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson scores a payday even a little higher than that.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Charania On Gibson, Thibodeau, Extensions

September 22nd, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Taj Gibson, has been negotiating with Bulls GM Gar Forman about an extension for his client for most of the offseason, and Gibson and his camp are confident about getting a deal done before the October 31st extension deadline, reports Shams Charania of Real GM.com.

“Both sides have the same interests: They value Taj and Taj loves being a Bull,” Bartelstein said.“He hopes to stay in Chicago. Both sides want a long-term marriage.”

Bartelstein's comments are similar to what he said in a report yesterday by Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. Sam also noted that the Bulls are high on Gibson, though the hefty contract of fellow power forward Carlos Boozer complicates matters.

As for Thibodeau, he and the Bulls continue to talk, but Charania hears no deal is imminent, as the Bulls are still haunted by the $4MM they had to pay off on Scott Skiles' contract after they fired him in 2007. There are whispers that owner Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't believe coaches make much of a difference, and some in the organization think Thibodeau performed poorly in the team's first-round loss to the Sixers this year. 

Thibodeau is entering the final season of his deal after the Bulls picked up his option for 2012/13 a few months ago. Thibodeau and Gibson hae a strong relationship, as Charania writes, and Thibodeau has indicated Gibson will see more playing time this year.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Bulls Rumors: Pargo, White, Allen, Gibson

September 21st, 2012 at 10:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls find themselves in a pickle as training camp approaches, with a $73.55MM payroll that bumps up against a hard cap of $74.3MM invoked when they exceeded the taxpayer's mid-level exception to sign Kirk Hinrich. That gives them enough room for a rookie on a minimum-salary deal of $473,604, and they might be able to squeeze in a one-year vet at the $762,195 minimum, depending on the accuracy of their reported salaries. Aside from that, they'll have to get rid of one of their contracts to add anyone else to the regular season roster. The team could swing a trade or waive Nate Robinson and his partially guaranteed contract to find a place for Andre Emmett, a player with two years of experience who'll be in training camp on a non-guaranteed deal. Still, the team appears to continue to look around for additional free agent help, as Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com chronicles. 

  • Sam hears that free agents Jannero Pargo, D.J. White and Ryan Allen are joining many of the Bulls for voluntary workouts in Chicago leading up to the opening of camp. Allen is the brother of Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, and is a native of Chicago. Pargo is having discussions with a few NBA teams, as we heard yesterday, and White is reportedly drawing interest from multiple teams overseas.
  • Taj Gibson indicated earlier this month that talks were under way about an extension, and agent Mark Bartelstein confirms that to Sam. "It's something we've been talking about for a while," Bartelstein said. "(GM) Gar (Forman) and I have been putting a lot of work in. Taj would love to be a Bull for a long time, there's no question about that."
  • The Bulls place a high value on Gibson and privately "acknowledge he's a keeper," Sam writes, but the presence of Carlos Boozer, who has three years and $47.1MM left on his contract, at his position complicates matters. The Bulls have an October 31st deadline to extend Gibson and keep him from becoming a restricted free agent next summer. 
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Bulls Exploring Extension For Taj Gibson

September 4th, 2012 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

While the Bulls' hard cap for 2012/13 makes it difficult to add any more players without first clearing salary, it doesn't stop the team from negotiating contract extensions for its current players. The club's primary extension candidate is Taj Gibson, who suggests to Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com that talks about a possible extension are underway between the Bulls and Gibson's representatives.

"They're talking about that stuff now," Gibson said. "I'm not even thinking about that. A lot of people always talk about that all year long, all season long. I don't really worry about it. I won't really be thinking about it. I'm just going out there and playing my game."

Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Gibson will earn just $2.16MM in 2012/13, but is set for a sizable pay raise next summer, whether or not he reaches free agency. The Bulls' decision to let Omer Asik walk this summer seems to indicate the club will allocate its long-term resources to other players, such as Gibson.

When Ryan Raroque of Hoops Rumors examined Gibson as an extension candidate in July, he wrote that a multiyear contract worth in the neighborhood of $6MM annually could be a reasonable deal for both sides. The Bulls and Gibson have until October 31st to work out an extension — if they can't reach an agreement, the 27-year-old will become a restricted free agent after the season.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Lillard, Leonard, Reggie

September 3rd, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com offered his thoughts on ProBasketballTalk.com's Kurt Helin making the prediction that Damian Lillard would be a good guess for Rookie of the Year award. Golliver essentially agreed with Helin, mentioning that in addition to the explosiveness he displayed at the Las Vegas Summer League, Lillard already displayed more polish than Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose showed as rookies. Despite the level of point guard play to be substantially better than what Lillard faced this summer, Golliver also mentions that the Trail Blazers' lottery pick is in a prime position to succeed alongside veterans such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum.  Here's more of what we're hearing tonight…

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0