Taj Gibson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Gibson, Kirilenko, Hawks, Rockets

October 22nd, 2012 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

With just eight days until the NBA regular season officially gets underway in Cleveland, Miami, and Los Angeles, let's round up a few updates from around the league….

While Taj Gibson is hoping to get a long-term extension worked out with the Bulls, he's preparing for any outcome, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
Discussing his free agency with Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld, Andrei Kirilenko explained that a number of factors went into his decision to sign with the Timberwolves: "I’m not just looking at one thing. Here, I found that all the pieces fit together. The contract is great, don’t get me wrong, but the team has made a big improvement from last year, and you know it’s a team on the way up, not on the way down or stuck. They’re growing up."
The Hawks aren't sure whether they'll keep 13, 14, or 15 players on their roster, as coach Larry Drew tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Of the team's 16 players currently under contract, Vivlamore suggests Anthony Tolliver, Damion James, and James Anderson are the three on non-guaranteed deals. Tolliver's contract was previously reported as being fully guaranteed, so it's unclear exactly what his situation is.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey appeared on KBME in Houston and discussed offseason additions Carlos Delfino and Omer Asik, as Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews documents.
With Spurs coach Gregg Popovich having indicated that Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown are the frontrunners for the team's final roster spot, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News gives the edge to Curry.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel isn't sure if there's a place for Joel Anthony on the Heat's current roster and wonders if a trade might make sense.

Taj Gibson Hopes To Retire As A Bull

October 18th, 2012 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Taj Gibson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and could become a restricted free agent next summer, but it doesn't sound as if he's overly eager to explore his options on the open market. According to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter), Gibson has said he'd like to spend the rest of his career with the Bulls, and is "hopeful" that the two sides will work out a contract extension this month.

We've heard plenty of updates this month on Gibson's contract situation, with most reports suggesting that the big man is likely to land a new deal with Chicago before the October 31st deadline. Yesterday, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that he expected the Bulls and Gibson to agree on an extension, with Carlos Boozer likely being amnestied down the road.

When Ryan Raroque of Hoops Rumors examined Gibson's case for an extension, he suggested that a deal worth about $6MM annually could work for both sides. If the Bulls could lock up the 27-year-old for three or four years at that price, it'd be a coup for the team. I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson landed a slightly bigger payday, perhaps in the neighborhood of $30MM overall.

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.

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:

Before Kirk Hinrich signed with the Bulls, former Chicago coach Scott Skiles tried to lure him to the Bucks, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He and I talked at length about it a couple times," Skiles said. "But you know, we weren't dangling a starting job. With Derrick [Rose] out, it's kind of Kirk's show right now. And obviously he lives here (in the Chicago area). There were some things that were against us a little bit. But I do know he struggled over it. When he called and told me what he had decided, I totally understood."
As Taj Gibson attempts to grow as a player, he's not letting himself be distracted by contract issues, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
New Bulls additions Marco Belinelli and Vladimir Radmanovic are still adjusting to coach Tom Thibodeau's system, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

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."

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.

As the Bulls and Taj Gibson make progress toward an extension, Shams Charania of RealGM.com says both sides want to make a long-term commitment (Twitter link).
Charania also checks in with Malcolm Thomas, the Bulls summer league standout who signed to play in Israel. Before he inked that contract, Thomas had an agreement in place with Dongguan on the Chinese Basketball Association, but the deal fell apart, Charania reports.
Entering the final year of his contract with the Pacers, David West appears much healthier to start this season than he was a year ago, when he was still feeling the effects of his torn left ACL, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
The Pistons are impressed with Ukrainian big man Slava Kravtsov despite a language barrier that causes some on-court communication problems, as MLive's David Mayo writes.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares Cavs coach Byron Scott's thoughts on the new anti-flopping rule, and the coach seems unconcerned, despite the presence of noted flopper Anderson Varejao on the roster. Scott also says he's impressed with second-year man Tristan Thompson, and says he has an edge over Samardo Samuels and Jon Leuer for the starting power forward job.
Kelenna Azubuike started 51 games for the Warriors in 2008/09, but in large measure because of two surgeries on a torn left patella tendon, he's only played in 12 NBA games since. Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer looks at how he's trying to resurrect his career with the Cavs this season. Valade also passes along a note from Scott hinting that the team may keep both Donald Sloan and Jeremy Pargo as backups to Kyrie Irving.
Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com chronicles the unconventional path Alonzo Gee took to become an established player in the NBA.

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.

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.

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.

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.