Here is a brief look at some of the news since the draft through this first day of free agency:

• LaMarcus Aldridge wants out of Portland
  It was reported shortly before the draft that Aldridge wants out of Portland and would like to be traded to the Chicago Bulls. The Trailblazers have listened to offers but nothing is imminent. Portland and Chicago have had brief discussions but would like Joakim Noah and are not interested in Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng. Unless one side is willing to budge talks will seemingly remain at a standstill.
• Andrea Bargnani traded to the New York Knicks
  This doesn’t have anything to do with Chicago except for the fact that it takes out the possibility of Chicago trading for Bargnani as they had tried to do earlier this year. The Knicks will be sending Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, a future first round pick, and two future second round picks in exchange for the former number one pick.
• Kyle Korver is “in the bag” for the Brooklyn Nets
  ESPN’s Marc Stein tweeted out that one rival GM believes the Nets have Kyle Korver “in the bag.” Nothing has been finalized or announced from either party but, if true, this is a huge blow to the Bulls and huge win for the Nets. Korver is one of the more coveted shooters this offseason and previously expressed interest in returning to Chicago. Last season he posted the second best three point shooting percentage, fourth best true shooting percentage, and had a top 10 offensive rating. His skill set could once again improve Chicago’s miserable three point shooting and help spread the floor. Given Brooklyn’s financial situation, if Korver were to sign with them it means he was willing to accept the mini-Mid Level Exception, something the Bulls could easily have offered him.
• The Bulls’s Summer League roster is taking shape
  Chicago’s Summer League roster is quickly taking shape. Tony Snell, Erik Murphy, Marquis Teague, and Malcolm Thomas will all be on the roster. Aggrey Sam reported Luke Harangody, Andy Rautins, Ryan Allen (Tony Allen’s brother), and Charles Boozer (yes, the brother of Carlos Boozer) are all expected to be on the team. Mike McGraw indicated Andrew Goudelock may be on the team as well (which could explain a tweet he sent out early in the morning).
• The contract of head assistant coach Ron Adams was not renewed
  As reported by the Chicago Tribune the Bulls will not be renewing Ron Adams’s contract for the 2013-2014 season. Adams is a close friend and has been the head assistant coach to Tom Thibodeau and has been working on one year deals since coming to Chicago. As of now Chicago has no replacement for him. There is speculation that this move has caused some rift between general manager Gar Foreman and Thibodeau. According to a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski, the “relationship between [the] Bulls’ GM and coach is easily the worst in the NBA.” Just perfect.
• Bulls linked to Mo Williams, Will Bynum, John Lucas III, and Monta Ellis
  According to a report from Shams Charania the Bulls have had exploratory talks with Mo Williams and Will Bynum. As of now there is no news as to how serious the talks are but they do fit in with the rumors that Nate Robinson’s days in Chicago are done. Mo Williams may be out of Chicago’s price range as he made over $8 million last year and has expressed he wants to play in a starter role (aka- significant minutes). The Bulls have also been linked to John Lucas III. JL3 was recently released by the Toronto Raptors and can likely be had for a minimum deal to replace Robinson. Lastly, Ken Berger reported the Bulls have had talks with Monta Ellis. Ellis is looking for a deal around $10 million or more and is more than likely out of Chicago’s price range.
• The Bulls are pursuing Mike Dunleavy Jr. with the mini-Mid Level Exception
  Adrian Wojnarowski recently tweeted out that the “Bulls [are] pursuing Mike Dunleavy Jr. with the mini-mid level [exception].” By adding Dunleavy Jr. the Bulls would be adding some much needed shooting to the roster. Last season Dunleavy shot a strong 42.8% from beyond the arc while posting up a 57.7% true shooting percentage and 54.5% effective field goal percentage. Should he pick up Thibodeau’s system, Dunleavy could prove to be a defensive upgrade over the options Chicago had last year (ex- Marco Belinelli). The current situation is fluid and nothing is imminent.
  
  UPDATE 7/1 by Avi Saini, 4:35 PST- According to a Twitter update from Wojnarowski, the Bulls are the frontrunners to land Dunleavy’s services. The sides are discussing a 2 year, $6 million deal. K.C. Johnson also tweeted out that both sides are confident a deal can be reached.

  UPDATE 7/1 by Avi Saini, 5:25 PST- According to a tweet by ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Bulls and Dunleavy have verbally agreed a 2 year $6 million deal. No other details about the deal are known at this time.

We will keep you updated as more news becomes available.

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Let's hope Derrick's play in 2009-10 helps us forget about his turbulent summer...

Speaking at a basketball camp at Joy of the Game in Deerfield, Derrick finally talked to the press about his Summer of Doom. Specifically, the allegations that somebody else took his college entrance exam and the picture that purportedly shows him flashing a gang sign.

Here’s what he had to say. Regarding the allegations of academic fraud: “That didn’t bother me at all, I know I didn’t do anything wrong. That was up to Memphis what they had to do. Coach [John Calipari] told me, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ I definitely wasn’t worried about it. I was still working out, so I just let [the scandal] pass.”

As for the supposed gang sign picture: “I couldn’t even remember the whole [NCAA] championship game, so I know I couldn’t remember that night, but I just got passed it. [I] talked to my mom, [she] told me just don’t worry about it, and I’m just looking forward to the future.”

Derrick also weighed in on the loss of Ben Gordon: “I guess they’re looking into the future. Ben is a great player, one of the best scorers I’ve ever played with, a great guy. He had to make a business move going to Detroit. I’m gonna miss him a lot. He took a lot of pressure off me last year, but we’ll have to see this year.”

For the most part, I’m fine with Derrick’s “answers” to these controversies, even if he didn’t really say much of anything. However…stating flat out that he didn’t do anything wrong could come back on him pretty hard if the investigation turns up any actual wrongdoing. I hope for his sake that what he’s saying is true.

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It's all fun and games until somebody whips out the gang signs.

From Dan McGrath and David Heinzmann of the Chicago Tribune: “Weeks after he was linked to allegations of academic fraud at the University of Memphis, the Bulls’ star guard issued a statement declaring his vehement opposition to gangs in response to a photo posted on the Internet that showed him flashing gang signs at a party in Memphis during his freshman year there. … Earlier Thursday, a Bulls spokesman said the team was aware of the photo but was not concerned, as gang affiliation and behavior didn’t square with the Rose the Bulls know.”

And here’s some text from Derrick’s Statement (which was most likely carefully written by a public relations specialist): “Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign. This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke … a bad one, I now admit. I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence. I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent. In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities.”

Do I think that Derrick is involved in or supports gang activity of any kind? Of course not. This is a textbook example of a boneheaded move by a kid at a party…the kind of move kids at parties have been making since the first caveman party-goer decided to hit the second caveman party-goer in the groin with a his wooden club. I remember one particularly rowdy party during my junior year of college when, while being videotaped, I curled my finger into a hook shape and declared to all future viewers of the video, “Yargh! I am such a [expletive] pirate!” But you know what? I wasn’t actually a pirate at all. I was just a slightly intoxicated (and therefore more-than-slightly obnoxious) 21-year-old who thought telling the world he was a pirate would seem cool. (Yeah, I sure swung and missed on that one, huh?)

And in the end, that’s all Derrick was trying to do: Seem cool. Unfortunately, as an NBA player — an up-and-coming star, no less — he leads a very public life. Whereas you’ll only hear about my pirate video second-hand (hopefully), private pictures of people like Derrick Rose will probably be surfacing and becoming public domain long after his career is over. So for the sake of that career, and a reputation that has taken some serious hits this summer, I hope he pauses for some careful consideration next time he’s clowning for the camera.

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