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Bulls Team Report

Yahoo! Sports
4 hours, 11 minutes ago

Getting Inside

The Bulls completed a mini-makeover as Thursday’s trade deadline expired. In three different deals, they sent away six players, took back five and added one low first-round draft pick. The Bulls did not surrender any starters, though.

To recap, the first trade brought forward John Salmons and center Brad Miller from Sacramento for forward Andres Nocioni, forward Drew Gooden, forward Cedric Simmons and forward Michael Ruffin, who was rerouted to Portland.

Guard Larry Hughes got his wish for a new home as the Bulls sent him to New York for forward Tim Thomas, center Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson. Thomas joined the Bulls in a trade with the Knicks back in 2005, and things didn’t work out very well. He was sent home after playing in just three games and eventually released. James is injured, while Roberson may come in handy only if Derrick Rose gets hurt.

The final trade sent guard Thabo Sefolosha to Oklahoma City for a first-round draft pick. The Thunder owns 2009 picks from both Phoenix and Denver, and the Bulls will reportedly get the lower of the two. As of Thursday, the Nuggets’ pick would be No. 26.

Among the new acquisitions, Salmons and Miller figure to play the biggest roles. Salmons is expected to take over the sixth-man role that Nocioni filled and could become an alternative at shooting guard if the Bulls can’t re-sign Ben Gordon this summer. Miller brings a veteran presence at center to help support young and improving big men Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah.

Sefolosha was a decent role player for the Bulls, but they figured he wouldn’t get much playing time behind Salmons and it made sense to shed his salary, roughly $3 million next season.

The short-term benefit of these trades should be negligible, since the Bulls are essentially replacing Nocioni and Gooden in the rotation with Salmons and Miller. Looking forward, the Bulls will have the ability to clear enough salary-cap room in 2010 to make a run at Toronto’s Chris Bosh or someone else. They may not be able to re-sign Gordon, though, without exceeding the luxury-tax threshold.

The Bulls should also have the ability to be players at next year’s trade deadline, since they’ll have three expiring contracts worth more than $25 million in Miller, Tim Thomas and James. Salmons and Miller should be in uniform when the Bulls face Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. The Bulls are 1-0 against the Pacers, who will be without top scorer Danny Granger because of a foot injury.

Bulls 116, Nuggets 99: Despite using just seven players until sending in guard Lindsey Hunter for the final minute, the Bulls had enough energy to produce a strong finish against one of the league’s best teams. They outscored Denver 29-12 over the final eight minutes and posted an impressive victory on Friday at the United Center. They were shorthanded because the players acquired from Sacramento and New York in recent trades were not yet available. Guard Ben Gordon led the way with 37 points, while forwards Luol Deng (22 points, 12 rebounds) and Tyrus Thomas (21 points, 12 rebounds) were both impressive. Thomas broke an 87-87 tie by hitting a jumper with 7:59 left and the Bulls went on to record a game-deciding 10-0 run. The victory pulled the Bulls within a half-game of Milwaukee for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Notes, Quotes

• After acquiring F Tim Thomas from New York on Thursday, the sarcastic question is: How long will he last with the Bulls? Thomas joined the Bulls in 2005 as part of the Eddy Curry trade and was sent home after playing in three regular-season games. The Bulls never gave a straight answer, but it was obvious they thought he was a slacker and didn’t want his attitude rubbing off on the other players. But all that happened with Scott Skiles as head coach. Current boss Vinny Del Negro has a history with Thomas, having spent two seasons as his teammate in Milwaukee from 1998 to 2000.

“I enjoyed playing with him,” Del Negro said. “I expect him to be professional and do his job. He has the ability and skill level to help us in certain situations. I think it’s a positive move for us.”

General manager John Paxson said he spoke to Thomas shortly after the trade became official and both sides agreed that the past is not relevant.

“After moving Andres (Nocioni), getting the Tim Thomas component made a lot of sense for us,” Paxson said. “What Andres did for us was space the defense and the floor and make perimeter shots. Tim can still do that. Given whatever minutes are still available, he can come in and help us.”

• As general manager John Paxson addressed the media following the trade deadline, he put to rest any rumors that he is about to resign. A story in the New York Post last week suggested Paxson would step down after the trade deadline expired. The unfounded report spread quickly and was reported as fact by many news outlets.

“I don’t feel an obligation to have to respond every time something comes up about me or a trade or anything like that,” Paxson said. “So I left it alone. I’m the GM of the Bulls. I’m not resigning. I’m here. I’m going to be here. So that puts an end to it. I’m not going to answer any questions about that. It’s over with. I’m the GM of the Bulls. That’s final. That takes care of that.”

Quote To Note: “In our minds, we have not ruled out keeping Ben Gordon at all. There may have to be another move in the summer that makes sense. I understand his value in what we’re trying to do and his ability to score. That’s important. But that’s down the road. There’s nothing we can do today to definitively know what may happen.”—General manager John Paxson on the future of the Bulls’ leading scorer, who will be a free agent this summer.

Roster Report

Rotation: Starters—Point guard Derrick Rose, shooting guard Ben Gordon, small forward Luol Deng, power forward Tyrus Thomas, center Joakim Noah. Bench—Guard Kirk Hinrich, guard Lindsey Hunter, center Aaron Gray.

Player Notes:

• G Ben Gordon erupted for a season-high 37 points, hitting 13 of 23 shots from the field, during Friday’s win over Denver. Coincidentally, he scored 37 almost exactly a year ago against the Nuggets, with the Bulls playing short-handed the day after making a trade deadline deal.

• F Tyrus Thomas continued his stretch of strong play, filling the box score with 21 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals on Friday against Denver. He’s recorded double-doubles in seven of the last 10 games.

• C Joakim Noah stood up to the Nuggets’ inside attack pretty well. Nene scored 17 points in the first half on Friday, but added just two points after halftime. Noah finished with 13 points and tossed down an impressive dunk over the Denver center in the third quarter.

Medical Watch:

• C Jerome James (torn Achilles tendon) was already out for the season when he joined the Bulls in a trade from New York on Feb. 19. Considering James played in four games the past two seasons for the Knicks, the Bulls clearly are not expecting many contributions.