Bulls waiting to read fine print of new NBA agreement
By Mike McGraw
Yes, it does appear the NBA lockout has finally come to an end.
Official details are scarce at the moment, but it’s safe to say the Bulls will open the season Dec. 25 against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.
The original Christmas Day lineup was Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas, followed by Bulls-Lakers at 4 p.m. Central time.
Those matchups are expected to tip off a 66-game regular season, while the rest of the schedule will be redrawn and a couple of weeks may be added beyond the planned April 18 ending.
Commissioner David Stern suggested training camps will open Dec. 9, which also will be the start of free agency. No word on the preseason, but teams played two games each before the lockout-shortened 1999 season.
While many teams could be facing an abbreviated free-agent frenzy, the Bulls aren’t planning to make significant changes from last year’s 62-20 squad.
The nine-man nucleus of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson are under contract.
The Bulls would gladly welcome back veteran center Kurt Thomas for another season, and rookie Jimmy Butler is on board.
The primary goal since losing to Miami in the Eastern Conference finals was to upgrade the shooting guard position. But it’s tough to tell what will happen until a couple of details of the new collective-bargaining agreement are made public.
ŸWhere’s the luxury-tax threshold?
There was talk of greater penalties for free-spending teams, but the Bulls were always going to be reluctant to pay the tax, anyway.
The midlevel exception will remain available for teams above the salary cap to add free agents. Whether the Bulls will try to use it on a free-agent shooting guard such as Orlando’s Jason Richardson will depend on the tax threshold.
The Bulls have about $61 million in salary commitments, and Rose is clearly in line for a maximum-salary extension. Can they re-sign Rose, use the midlevel exception and still remain below the luxury-tax line?
That’s the question cap guru Irwin Mandel will be trying to answer this week.
If the answer is no, the Bulls might try to use their depth to trade for a shooting guard.
ŸHow will the amnesty rule play out?
Richardson appears to be the best free-agent two guard available, but there are other candidates, such as Dallas’ DeShawn Stevenson and Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford.
The new CBA is expected to include an amnesty clause, which would allow teams to release one player still under contract. The team still would have to pay that player, but his salary wouldn’t count against the cap or toward the luxury tax.
This rule could provide even more upgrade options for the Bulls and other contending teams. Would Atlanta use the amnesty clause to rid itself of Joe Johnson’s monstrous contract? Washington might consider dumping Rashard Lewis.
And Detroit could conceivably choose between releasing Rip Hamilton or Ben Gordon, two players who could help the Bulls.
Keep in mind that teams still have to pay out those amnesty contracts, so the savings would be limited. Teams that are not paying the luxury tax might decide to skip the amnesty clause altogether.
Then again, the Pistons could decide to release Hamilton or Gordon and create the cap room to try again to find better fits in free agency.
Either way, there should be several options for the Bulls to complete their primary off-season task.
Ÿmmcgraw@dailyherald.com. Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter by following McGrawDHBulls.