Joe Johnson wants to commit early to Bulls?

[Gustavus Adolphus]

If Joe Johnson is the big name that the Bulls spend money on this off season I quickly become Chicago's biggest Oklahoma City fan.

 

[ZAN]

If we sign JJ first, LeBron will not come.

Book it.

 

[Anytime23]

If we sign JJ first, LeBron will not come.

Book it.

But he would come w/ Kirk Hinrich at SG? We are better w/ Joe Johnson. Why not?

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

If we sign JJ first, LeBron will not come.

Book it.

why

 

[ZAN]

LeBron would much rather be courted first and foremost...

 

[Anytime23]

LeBron would much rather be courted first and foremost...

If LeBron leaves CLE its because of 1 thing and 1 thing alone, winning. With Joe Johnson, Chicago is even more likely to win it all with LeBron. I honestly wouldnt take him first but i wouldnt say it will turn LeBron off because of it.

 

[Chi-Town Brahma]

If LeBron leaves CLE its because of 1 thing and 1 thing alone, winning. With Joe Johnson, Chicago is even more likely to win it all with LeBron. I honestly wouldnt take him first but i wouldnt say it will turn LeBron off because of it.

:support:

(there's the return "thanks" i was talking about LOL)

 

[Anytime23]

YOINK lol

 

[♠ B u c k e t s ♠]

If we sign JJ first, LeBron will not come.

Book it.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

^maybe you should look at what anytime said

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I agree with the assertion that James will not want to come to the Bulls if they sign Joe Johnson before him. Why would he want to be in the mix with Johnson and Deng? Those are 2 guys who can easily cover 70 of the 96 mins at the 2-3 spots.

It will hardly matter though because James is going to be the first major name signed most likely

 

[Bullsman24]

i disagree. i think lebron will wait and see. now people might sign after him but it should be at least 5 days later.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I think it will take LeBron a little over a week to make up his mind. Wade will re-sign with Miami most likely anyday now... But Bosh is going to wait to see where James goes (that is what he said he would do). It makes sense; teams with enough space for a max contract are going to be talking to James before they talk to the likes of Bosh, Nowitzki, Boozer, Stoudemire, or Johnson.

 

[Anytime23]

If the Bulls sign Johnson and Deng isnt moved then LeBron isnt even in their plans. Expect Bosh to be the next target with some room for bench players.

 

[Lex L.]

Bulls move Hinrich + #17 to Washington for cap space - Chicago Bulls Confidential

This is a couple of days old. Please let this not be true.

As far as I can tell, this doesn't quit get the Bulls 2 max FA room unlikely what the report says. The last cap estimate I had was 56.1 million dollars. The Bulls will have enough room for a $14.3 million dollar offer after signing one maximum free agent.

Granted, they can make a S&T for Bosh using their cap room and not have to send back almost any salary at this point. Something like Bosh for Gibson + Johnson + Charlotte pick + 2011 1st would work under the cap.

Assuming Toronto is still willing to trade S&T Bosh, the Bulls will have plenty to offer.

This also might fit with the report from an internet friend that the Bulls already agreed to terms with Joe Johnson in a handshake deal for 4 years 60 million. That deal would start at 13.4 million, and leave enough for a maximum contract player afterwards.
Now a Joe Johnson, Derrick Rose, LeBron James core is awesome, but it's not exactly diversifying your assets with all of your scoring coming from the perimeter and having three guys who want the ball on the outside.

Still, the Bulls have a ton of options in front of them.

Interesting that KC Johnson just reported that the Bulls wouldn't trade Hinrich/Deng solely for financial flexibility, but wanted something back. It appears very much that they did just that and had to give something up to make it happen.

 

[Crystallas]

JJ is a great option to bring in if ALL ELSE FAILS! lol

Guys like JJ, Lee, *** are on the list of players we want, if we can't get LBJ and/or Bosh.

I would love to see what Thibs could do for a guy like JJ.

 

[Undisputed]

JJ is a great option to bring in if ALL ELSE FAILS! lol

Guys like JJ, Lee, *** are on the list of players we want, if we can't get LBJ and/or Bosh.

I would love to see what Thibs could do for a guy like JJ.

I don't know about Rudy ***. He'd be a bad fit for the Bulls. We'd be better off keeping Deng.

 

[Crystallas]

I don't know about Rudy ***. He'd be a bad fit for the Bulls. We'd be better off keeping Deng.

*** is NOT on my wishlist. But my point is that if we have to fill in the SF spot, because the FO finds a taker for Deng to clear more space(a thought we can't rule out) then *** is an option somewhere down the line.

I'm on a pre-July 8th rollercoaster right now.

One moment I'm clenching my fists with excitement, then the next moment I am reminded by some of the stupid moves of the past. Up, then down... AGH, I'm going to puke..

 

[Anytime23]

Bulls move Hinrich + #17 to Washington for cap space - Chicago Bulls Confidential

This is a couple of days old. Please let this not be true.

1st, who is this guy reporting this.
2nd, I'll wait until Sam Smith or KC Johnson mention this before i get worried.

I just dont see how they would have a handshake agreement with one of the older and less talented free agents when they are obviously front runners for the top talent FAs. Just doesnt make sense to me. If there are discussions with Joe Johnson behind close doors, there can very well be the same with LeBron, Bosh, etc. Im sure there are discussions happening with all of the teams and with all of the FAs. I think by the time the 8th rolls around, people will already have their minds made up. I would be very happy with a JJ/Bosh combo though.

 

[Anytime23]

How about sign Johnson first and S&T for Bosh