Bulls leave light on for LeBron

At least this time the Bulls didn't pitch a shutout.

They threw everything in their arsenal at the best free agent class in NBA history, and after another insane day of signings and rumors, and ups and downs, the Bulls had Carlos Boozer in the fold, having whiffed on Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

That leaves one of the big three available, and the Bulls holding out hope that LeBron James might still consider Chicago as a destination, since Boozer is, after all, an LBJ pal.

At this point, if James doesn't come here, the Bulls have to pray he chooses Cleveland, New York or New Jersey, and not Miami with Wade and Bosh.

As long as it's not the Heat, the Bulls are in business in the Eastern Conference, having improved the team since the end of the season, and with many pieces still to add that might make them a legit contender.

Boozer is not in the same class as Bosh in many respects, and offensively he can't compete with Amare Stoudemire, now with the Knicks. But Boozer's a better all-around player than Stoudemire and tries hard defensively, something Stoudemire would never dream of doing.

In Boozer the Bulls finally - finally! - have an offensive presence down low, a great pick-and-roll player for Derrick Rose, and Boozer can play with his back to the basket or shoot the jumper.

He's very strong and willing to bang with anyone, but he gets beat up on defense by the bigger power forwards, and even though his playoff numbers look good, the folks in Utah have often accused Boozer of disappearing when it matters most.

Nevertheless, he's a piece to the puzzle and the Bulls were better Wednesday afternoon with him than they were Wednesday morning without him.

The strangeness of this last two months since the Cavs were eliminated is almost indescribable, with the fluctuation in emotion hourly in a half dozen NBA cities.

Bulls fans went from high as a kite when they went to bed Tuesday night in believing they might get Wade and Bosh, or LeBron plus one, to thinking they'd have no one Wednesday morning.

By the time the Bulls had Boozer, some had convinced themselves the Bulls were once again the front-runner for James.

That was always the danger in following so many wild rumors for the past few weeks, when not even the players themselves knew anything.

Now, it's down to the final big question, and it may be Thursday night before you get the answer on the biggest prize in NBA free agent history.

Even if the Bulls get left at the altar again, they at least have themselves a team, unlike a decade ago in the post-Jordan, full-boat free agency that saw them forsaken and shipwrecked.

And for the love of Crash Mengelt and all that's holy, thankfully this free agent season of great expectations - and for so many teams, unfulfilled promise - is almost over.

Night to forget

This has been a fabulous run by the White Sox, beginning with a terrific Gavin Floyd start in a loss to Detroit on June 8, but the loss of Jake Peavy in a victory Tuesday could easily have the opposite effect on the team - especially the bullpen, which has been dominant and rested for the last month.

If a starter in the system isn't the answer, GM Kenny Williams must quickly find one before prices on the open market soar.

Dunn deal

The first Adam Dunn/White Sox rumors were printed more than a month ago, and yet we still await Ozzie Guillen's admission that he was wrong for insisting on a flexible, DH by committee.

Don't hold your breath.

Ivan Boldirev-ing

Antti Niemi did a very respectable job in the playoffs and at times was very good. At other times, he was quite mediocre.

So while there's no denying he had a calming effect on his club, he wasn't the reason the Blackhawks won the Cup.

He was much more passenger than pilot, so one gets the feeling that if he and his agent overreach, or overplay their hand, the Hawks might not be all that patient as they attempt to both clean up a cap disaster and plan responsibly for the future.

Apocalypse now

Chris Duhon gets four years, $15 million from Orlando, Hakim Warrick gets four years, $18 million from the Suns, and Drew Gooden gets five years, $32 million from the Bucks, his ninth team in eight years.

The decision

SI.com's Joe Posnanski: "(LeBron) James, according to various sources I've seen on the Internet, has in the last two months been secretly recruited by every single team in the NBA, 48 different NBA players, 12 NFL teams, four World Cup teams, two baseball teams, three branches of the military, the Broadway show Wicked, the President of the United States, 18 Fortune 500 companies, the city of Wichita and Lord Voldemort on behalf of Slytherin."

The punch line

Could there possibly be a more perfect landing spot for Vinny Del Negro than the L.A. Clippers?

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "Cleveland residents scrambling to get TVs before LeBron's big announcement.''

And finally ...

Rays minor-league catcher Jhancarlos Infante has been suspended after testing positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid developed for veterinary use and generally used for treatment of horses.

The bad news is he gets a 50-game ban. The good news is he's been cleared to run next week in a maiden claimer at Calder.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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