By Fred Mitchell
The Bulls invested considerable time, emotion and money this summer on the courting of free agents LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all of whom wound up in Miami.
But Bulls executive vice president John Paxson insists he did not feel used.
"I don't feel it was a waste of time because every team that had (salary-cap) money did the same thing," Paxson told the Tribune. "We were making our pitch, and none of us knows if that was set in stone long ago or (we) were just spinning our wheels. It doesn't really matter. I think as an organization it was really good for us, because we put together a plan and a program to show what we are about and what we want to be. I think it reinforced a lot of things that we believe in. We tried our best and unfortunately didn't hit what would have been a grand slam. But both (general manager) Gar (Forman) and I are both confident that we've improved our team."
The Bulls invested considerable time, emotion and money this summer on the courting of free agents LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all of whom wound up in Miami.
But Bulls executive vice president John Paxson insists he did not feel used.
"I don't feel it was a waste of time because every team that had (salary-cap) money did the same thing," Paxson told the Tribune. "We were making our pitch, and none of us knows if that was set in stone long ago or (we) were just spinning our wheels. It doesn't really matter. I think as an organization it was really good for us, because we put together a plan and a program to show what we are about and what we want to be. I think it reinforced a lot of things that we believe in. We tried our best and unfortunately didn't hit what would have been a grand slam. But both (general manager) Gar (Forman) and I are both confident that we've improved our team."
The Bulls did manage to sign former Utah Jazz players Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer.
"We've improved it for the long term, as well as this upcoming season," said Paxson. "We're still very young and we've got some outstanding players. We've got two All-Stars now in Derrick (Rose) and Carlos. And we think Joakim (Noah) is going to have the potential to be an All-Star. And we still have Luol Deng, who everybody isn't kind of talking about ... still averaged 18 (points) a game for us last year. So we feel really, really good."
"We've improved it for the long term, as well as this upcoming season," said Paxson. "We're still very young and we've got some outstanding players. We've got two All-Stars now in Derrick (Rose) and Carlos. And we think Joakim (Noah) is going to have the potential to be an All-Star. And we still have Luol Deng, who everybody isn't kind of talking about ... still averaged 18 (points) a game for us last year. So we feel really, really good."
You struck out in the recent draft and should have had a mid first rounder and Harangody in the second (if you had kept the second rounder given to Portland for Tyrus along with the second overall).
Ha ha ha....I have a hard time listening to anyone who wants that bum from ND on their team. The guy scored 2 pts in an NCAA tourney game...and that was a layup with 1 second left to cut the lead to 1....
If you want to talk about falling in love with players before they prove they can be superstars (Deng, Noah) and refusing to trade them for proven superstars (Kobe, Carmello) I would understand your anger...but not picking Luke Whosyourdaddy is a weak point...
Go ahead and say it. You struck out on the three pitches to the big three. You doubled on Boozer, who will be good for two years. Then you popped up on Korver. You hit a long fly out on Brewer. Thomas and whatshisname are sad sacks.
You struck out in the recent draft and should have had a mid first rounder and Harangody in the second (if you had kept the second rounder given to Portland for Tyrus along with the second overall).
For years you have been saying that Hinrich was important to what the franchise was trying to accomplish. But you not only mispoke, wasted a draft choice on him, overpaid him, but wasted a draft choice moving him.
All Bulls fans are big whiny babies who are spoiled from the 6 rings and having the best player in the world all those years. Look has Paxson made mistakes... Yeah but what GM doesen't? This team may not be a Title contender right now but I like the nucleus and the depth of the bench and if D.Rose becomes like D.Wade this will be the best team in the NBA in the next couple of years. Gar/Pax I am usually a hater when it comes to you two but I give you both a pat on the back for rebounding and putting together a good team after striking out on the big prize. At least we got quality talent and not Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson.
James G on September 2, 2010 9:18 AM
All Bulls fans are big whiny babies...
_______________________
Change Bulls to Chicago and you are on a better track.
All Bulls fans are big whiny babies who are spoiled from the 6 rings and having the best player in the world all those years. Look has Paxson made mistakes... Yeah but what GM doesen't? This team may not be a Title contender right now but I like the nucleus and the depth of the bench and if D.Rose becomes like D.Wade this will be the best team in the NBA in the next couple of years. Gar/Pax I am usually a hater when it comes to you two but I give you both a pat on the back for rebounding and putting together a good team after striking out on the big prize. At least we got quality talent and not Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson.
Anybody who feels "really, really good" about Luol Deng is an idiot. Paxson did two years of roster shuffling for what? The question to ask is whether Boozer, Brewer and Korver are any better than Gordon, Hinrich, Thomas and Salmons/Nocioni?
boy who u calling dumb man jus keep ur mouth shut homie
I'm not mad about missing out on Lebron, Wade and Bosh. They had a plan from the start. I'm upset that the Bulls didn't take a look a the Carmelo Situation! They went all in on LBJ and they lost a valuable trade piece in Hinrich. Melo is available now, (who would have been a better fit anyway) and I don't think we can manufacture the trade.
That sucks!
Bulls have yet to make a significant move Post-Jordan. Had a chance to get Kobe..blew it, then had a chance to get 2 of the top 3 guys in Free Agency this year...BLEW IT!!
The reason the Bulls did not hit a "grand slam" is because they sent singles hitters to bat in GarPax.
They had a lot going for them going into the free agency market and came away with leftovers.
I am pretty sure that if they had convinced Wade to play in Chicago then Bosh probably agrees to a sign and trade deal to come here too and with Rose on the team LeBron is left to stay in Cleveland or go to New York.
Wade and Bosh with the Bulls is a better team than Wade, Bosh, LeBron and a bunch of stiffs in Miami.
The Bulls will be a better team than last year but they could have made the jump to "team to beat" and that did not happen.
Blah, blah, blah. The only thing you've done is perhaps set the club up as a bottom level playoff team Paxson, and that's only if Boozer somehow manages to stay injury free, which is not likely. The only difference in this, and the past couple seasons is, the team probably has no shot at a lucky ping pong draw, being it'll be a first rd. playoff loser.
Paxson and his sidekick are terrible, with a capital T, management team, which were only dreaming and trying to spin fans hopes, that they were capable of improving the club greatly. And the ironic thing is, the Bulls behind bully Paxson totally jerked their H.C. around, and will most likely end up with a worse record than the Clippers, where Vinny was smartly hired at. Also, i won't be surprized in the least, that the Bulls record ends up worse this year, than last.
"I don't feel it was a waste of time because every team that had (salary-cap) money did the same thing," Paxson told the Tribune.
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Translation: "I don't think investing my money with Bernie Madoff was a waste because a lot of other people with money did the same thing." Sheer genius
GarPax always bets on the 00. Pax would have taken Beastley except for JR's input. He gambled on Tyrus who "would turn out to be the best in the draft in a few years". No reason to dump Salmonns, Hinrich and the draft choice and Tyrus without some assurance that the 00 gamble would work. Pax just now said that he knew that all of the cap rich GMs were competing for the same three players. Why did he feel assured that Thibs, GAr and he were the big attraction?
The last three years of the five year contract for Boozer is a long shot gamble, just as was Wallace. Need I go on.
If Pippen had been here and Cartwright still had been coach, maybe the Bulls cache would have attracted a big FA.
Is he going to sign Noah to an extension or not. My guess is "not".
I won't get into a long debate about the value of the Bulls draft choices (although there are many arguments against it) Here are some Bulls draftees of recent years:
Tyson Chandler (Brand would have still done better for them)
Jamal Crawford
Kirk Hinrich
Ben Gordon
Chris Duhon
Ron Artest
my question is, OK where are they now? What happened with the strategy of building around these players?
And here are the really bad ones besides Marcus Fizer
Eddy Curry
Dalibor Bagaric
Tyrus Thomas (And the fact that they passed on Aldridge hurts twice as much)
This is all despite being a high drafting team due to really bad teams
CantWin the Bulls won 6 titles thanks to Michael and Pippen. They put a verity of lineups with them and won regardless of who else was there. They did not win when Michael was out. And where would championships have been if Portland had drafted Michael instead of Bowie?
Yes they did have some decent (not great) draft choices over the years. Gordon, Hinrich and Nocioni come to mind. But where are they now? All let go or traded based on a strategy for the summer of 2010. Now that it's failed you have to question what this management and organization is doing.
The Bulls will definitely have more wins this year than last, but they are nowhere as good as some fans in Chicago are lead to believe.......! As much as I loved PAXSON's passion for the game as a player, he is a LOUSY General Manager! UTellEm23 had it dead right, PAXSON does indeed have a brain, unfortunately its not attached !! PAXSON's assault on a coach only proves how incompetent he is and that his decision making in based on emotion, not common or logical sense. As far as drafting goes, all we have to mention is the "ALDRIDGE" trade down for Tyrus! Beside Rose, Noah and Gibson that were currently drafted by the Bulls, tell me another player recently that the Bulls drafted that is serviceable?
RKA83 on August 31, 2010 3:37 PM
@Gee - Tell me, before Mike asked for his 30 million plus a year, who was really getting paid big bucks? You seem to forget that Jordan was the one who started the trend. Jordan got his 30+ million a year and then Shaq asked for and got his 100+ million over 5 to 6 years and then KG tried and then it snow balled. MJ is the reason why there is a set cap for X amount of years. Jordan left as a player because Krause was being a jerk to Phil and Jordan didn't want to play for anyone else at the time. Oh didn't Jordan still get paid by JR while playing minor league baseball? Statue outside the building. Only thing JR didn't do was let Jordan own a piece of his team.
Let's see Pippen is getting his own statue too and is team ambassador. I'd hate to be them and I am misguided.
RKA83 you know WHO- was getting the big bucks?? REINSDORF WAS!!!
Juxtapose what Reinsdorf was banking to what he was paying Jordan up till the last 2-years, and he(Reinsdorf) got out like a BANDIT. heil he's STILL reaping the benefits of the Jordan/Pippen era.
RKA83 ALSO wrote-
Btw, yes I know Krause broke up the team and JR gave him the ok to do so, but Krause was also the man who put the right players around MJ to win six tittles. So I don't blame JR for sticking with the GM who got the job done.
How'd this work out for us "beleagured" fans??? Reinsdorf's pockets keep getting fatter and fatter, while
Jerry "Crumbs" Krause out scouting baseball in the "hinterlands" somewhere. Yeah, you keep patting Reinsdorf on the back.
1984-85 - $550,000
1985-86 - $630,000
1986-87 - $737,500
1987-88 - $845,000
1988-89 - $2,000,000
1989-90 - $2,250,000
1990-91 - $2,500,000
1991-92 - $3,250,000
1992-93 - $4,000,000
1993-94 - $4,000,000
1994-95 - $3,850,000
1995-96 - $3,850,000
1996-97 - $30,140,000
1997-98 - $33,140,000
Chicago Bulls fans are the dumbest fans in the NBA.
Bulls have become a top contender with Rose, and Boozer with a DEEP BENCH.
Stop crying you babies.
Go Chicago Jazz
If Paxson really believes he stood a chance at getting any of those three guys, he is incredibly naive. Almost anyone, even those of us not in the NBA, knew this was nonsense. Sure, they spent their salary cap space, but what a waste of money. And what is the premise on which one can conclude they are better than last year? They lost the entire team, the only guy who could dribble without turning over the ball, the only perimeter defender, and the guy who should have been cut loose, Deng, is still here. What a joke. Well, as long as we've got KC buttering up Pax and defending the stupid moves of the Bulls, and as long as these pinheads continue to go buy tickets at the United Center, the circus will continue. Do they have a draft pick in 2011? Maybe Pax can draft another younger James Johnson.
As long as GarPax are running the team, they will continue to lose. Playoff appearances aren't a big deal in a league where over half of the teams make it in. Paxson will continue to burn through coaches and nothing will really change.
Trade Deng, Gibson, Johnson and Bobcats 1 pick for Carmelo Anthony. I'd even give up Noah too to get Melo assuring he signs his extension so it could be a sign n trade...
The Bulls and Paxson have shown through this whole process that they are a class organization. While you got guys like Gilbert, and the Raptors for trashing their former players the Bulls are just saying HEY we gave it our best shot but we came up short. That's Life baby. The Bulls are going to be a lot better than many of us think they will be. LETS GO BULLS
Pax had nothing to gain by trashing Wade, Bosch & James for bad faith negotiating.
As far as 'eye for talent', they've done pretty good for the picks they've had. Noah & Gibson were great picks. Johnson looks like a wasted pick. He has talent & heaps of athleticism, but doesn't seem to be able to play at an NBA level. Tyrus Thomas was another gamble that didn't pay off.
The last time the Bulls really whiffed in the draft was 2000, when they got Marcus Fizer (despite already having Elton Brand at PF), & Jamal Crawford.
@Gee - Tell me, before Mike asked for his 30 million plus a year, who was really getting paid big bucks? You seem to forget that Jordan was the one who started the trend. Jordan got his 30+ million a year and then Shaq asked for and got his 100+ million over 5 to 6 years and then KG tried and then it snow balled. MJ is the reason why there is a set cap for X amount of years. Jordan left as a player because Krause was being a jerk to Phil and Jordan didn't want to play for anyone else at the time. Oh didn't Jordan still get paid by JR while playing minor league baseball? Statue outside the building. Only thing JR didn't do was let Jordan own a piece of his team.
Let's see Pippen is getting his own statue too and is team ambassador. I'd hate to be them and I am misguided.
Btw, yes I know Krause broke up the team and JR gave him the ok to do so, but Krause was also the man who put the right players around MJ to win six tittles. So I don't blame JR for sticking with the GM who got the job done.
Bloop single???? How about a tapper right in front of the plate and he barely beat it out.lol lol lol lol
if paxson really believes he was not used by wade, he
doesn't deserve to keep his job.
LMAO! Paxson hit a bloop single... Guys like Paxson, Kerr, Bird, Thomas and Mc hale are guys you admired as players, but have no business as GM's
Let's see where this team will be when after the Circus trip, you have BOTH Boozer and Deng, sitting on the bench in street clothes, after their- "ANNUAL" injury-plagued, miss- long stretches of games ritual.
Gar-Pax was "played" by Wade, Bosh and LeBron, like a fiddle. This team will win 40-45 games on the strength of their mighty-might PG- Rose, and the hustle of Noah.
Meanwhile, Reinsdorf will have his hand up Pax's back like a puppet, Gar Forman will have to face the public as the "sacrificial lamb" the stands will be FULL, the fat guys and old ladies will entertaining the crowd as they much on over-priced nachos and watered-down beer.
BTW- whoever said the Bulls treated Jordan and Pippen good are very misguided. Jordan didn't get paid until his last 2- seasons. And Pippen finally got his money because of feared backlash from future free-agents.Reinsdorf is STILL feeling the ramifications league-wide from these incidents.
Paxson is perceived as a "light-weight" amongst GM's, and Gar Forman as clueless. Good clue to tell about a team "Willing" to contend. Reinsdorf has NEVER went into the luxury tax status- meaning doing whatever it takes to bring a winning team here. This team needed a big man like Gasol, Reinsdorf wouldn't open up the checkbook,
(and basically) tied Pax's hands. He interfered with the hiring of Doug Collins, in favor of an un-proven rookie coach like Vinny Del Negro who
(who was finally coming into HIS OWN, only to be let go)
and, when they signed Deng and Hinrich, but like Gordon go, I knew this team was operating on another level, not 1- of a "championship team", but that of a perennial also-ran.
To some this is good management, in reality this is an owner saying-
"My money is my MONEY"!
Reinsdorf been reaping the benefits of Jordan/Pippen era for over 10 years now, with not much to show for it. IF the Bulls didn't get LUCKY, and have Derrick Rose fall into their lap, they'd be the midwest version of the L.A. Clippers right now.
This team is gonna have to get lucky(AGAIN) and draft some stars to put this team over-the-top.
Top-notch free agents will NEVER come here, and the Bulls will remain a mid-to-lower level team in the NBA.
MustafaP you are a classic Chicago whiner. When the team loses, it's because they're inept, but when they win, it's because they're "lucky". You don't win 6 championships without an eye for talent like Pippen, Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc. Since then, they've had many, many good draft picks over the past 20 years and very few "busts" -- just no superstars. They wanted Wade but couldn't trade up to get him. Had they, you'd just say it was luck anyways.
I don't know about bad treatments of star players, but the Bulls as an organization have not had an eye for talent. If you look at it from a just perspective, the only draft they can point to the last 20 years that showed an eye for talent was Pippen. They lucked into Michael, they lucked into getting Rose by an improbable bounce of the ball and even then they almost ruined it by the thoughts of drafting Beasley. The rest have been bust. There has been no plan except a seasonal mid-year blockbuster trade to bring in some talent and letting some go. The climax of all those trades, the Bulls would have you believe, was this summer of start FA's which went almost completely bust for the Bulls.
Gar and Pax get blamed for not getting Lebron, Wade, or Bosh. Listen, those three had it mapped out long ago. To think other wise is foolish. It wouldn't matter if MJ himself was playing the role of GM and used his status over his smarts as a GM to grab either of the three. So to blame Gar/Pax or the Bulls is general is idiotic. We all knew none of the three were headed here. You could tell by the way Wade was behaving the entire time. It was a joke to him. He was playing with teams and watching Lebron and Bosh do it as well - although they were more believable.
A lineup of Boozer, Noah, Deng, Brewer, and Rose is going to win some games for this franchise. Sad to see Hinrich go, but I think Brewer and Hinrich are a push overall so I think the team is fine. Is it going to beat the Heat? No way. But Gar/Pax did improve this basketball team.
The NBA is not in a good spot right now anyway. It lost $300 million last year, thanks to terrible fans like the ones in Miami. There are a lot of folks I know that are even more turned off by the NBA than ever before after this Lebron/Wade/Bosh joke occured.
This is the time that the management and coaching staff earns their keep. It's up to them to take THIS collection of players - not the ones that got away - and turn them into a premier basketball team.
The goal for any coach and GM is to make the whole better than the sum of the parts. Let's see how well the Bulls can do that.
Utellem23.... what world do you live in.
GarPax failed. We're not talking about those other dysfunctional franchises. We're talking about a GM who never has had a clue how to hire a coach, draft a winning team, trade for a winning team, keep a good guy, get rid of a bad guy. Heck, the best move he made all season was grabbing the dummy Del Negro by the tie.
@Roman F the TWolves Kevin McHale traded Garnett to his former team the Celtics and Jerry West trades Gasol for penny candy to his former team The Lakers, didn't seem like much had to be done for those trades.
@E-Dub Mike and Scottie were treated very well by management. If you think getting 30+ million a year is bad treatment, then I would like to know what good treatment is. Pippen was signed and traded to the team of his choice by JR, sounds like decent treatment to me. Who they hated was former GM Jerry Krause who beefed with Phil Jackson, which lead to his and MJ's retirement.
@Roman
Stfu Roman.Take a look at the Chicago Bears and Cubs and be grafeful that the Bulls actually have a GM that has a brain.If you want talk about constant,talk about the Bulls having winning seasons under Paxson,unlike Hendry and Angelo.After watching the Bears preseason that made me appreciate the Bulls even more.
All well and good, but you have to realize these guys were toying with GarPax the entire time. This example of collusion took place long ago between the players. Plus, everyone knows how the Bulls treated Michael and Scottie and how that treatment (or lack of it) forced them to dismantle one of the greatest dynasties in pro sports ever. Not much else to say; Bulls were destined to strike out regardless.
The one constant through the Paxson regime: He can't hit a HR, let alone a grand slam. Celtics get Garnett, Lakers get Gasol, Bulls are always left standing out in the cold. I'm not saying he doesn't try. He just doesn't succeed.