Watson hoping Bulls can ‘make a run at it’
Bulls guard C.J. Watson probably thought he was just passing the time during the NBA lockout when he agreed to drop the first puck Sunday at the Wolves game.
As it turned out, he’s back on call, assuming the handshake agreement between owners and players is ratified as expected.
Training camps are expected to open Dec. 9, while the Bulls should open the season on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 25.
“I’m in shape,” Watson said at the Allstate Arena. “Hopefully all of my teammates are in shape. We’ll see when they all get back. I’m sure they’ve been working out because they have a little sour taste in their mouth from how we ended last year.”
The Bulls finished last year by losing to Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. The shortened season might give the Heat’s Power Trio less time to mesh as a unit, giving the Bulls another window of opportunity.
“I’ve talked to a few of (my teammates),” Watson said. “A few of them are happy. Hopefully we can all stay injury free and make a run at it.”
Watson spent most of the lockout in his hometown of Las Vegas, working out with guys such as Chauncey Billups, Al Harrington and Omri Casspi with personal trainer Joe Abunassar.
“I played pickup with a lot of players,” he said. “Played in the Impact league that they had in Vegas. Stayed pretty competitive throughout the summer.”
Asked his thoughts on the new labor agreement, Watson admitted he didn’t like everything in the deal, but he’s glad it’s done.
“I think (Commissioner David) Stern’s a good negotiator,” he said. “He was playing his cards right. Everyone has their doubts — their pros and cons — but it’s good to get a deal done so we can get back to playing basketball.”
As details of the new agreement make the rounds, one item affecting the maximum salary is being called the “Derrick Rose Rule.”
Players with less than seven years of experience are generally allowed to sign maximum contract deals worth 25 percent of the salary cap (which amounted to $14.5 million in 2010-11).
But the new rules allow for younger stars to earn 30 percent of the salary cap ($17.4 million in 2010-11) if a player is named to an All-NBA team twice, voted an all-star starter twice or wins MVP. That’s why it’s named after Rose, who won MVP in his third NBA season.
According to multiple reports, the 66-game schedule will feature 18 dates out of conference and 48 within the conference, which means teams will not visit every NBA city. The schedule also will require teams to play games on three straight nights on a few occasions.