On the circus road trip, any win is a good win. That, along with no one getting injured, cushions the embarrassment and frustration of the Bulls blowing a 21 point lead that peaked midway through the second quarter after back-to-back buckets from Tony Snell. The offense lost its rhythm and the absence of Taj Gibson was felt on the interior, but fortunately for Thibs & Co., Gordon Hayward’s three as time expired clanged off the rim to seal the 97-95 win for Chicago.

Chicago’s offense set the building on fire in the first half. Both Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol returned and made an impact. Rose quickly poured in ten as the Bulls raced to an early lead, while Pau was clearly refreshed from the time off provided by his calf ailment. That first half continued to be a brave new world on offense for the Bulls, as they shot better from three (8-12) than they did at the free throw line (8-13). They shot 59% overall, and though Utah shot 48% themselves, the Jazz attempted only two threes and three free throws. 16 bench points for the Bulls made it an all-around effort that was a reminder, even without Kirk Hinrich and Gibson, of the firepower this team has suddenly assembled.

Utah hung tough though, and starting in the final stint of the second quarter, made their way back into the game. With Rose on limited minutes and the three point attack going cold (just one in the second half, a moonball from Aaron Brooks), the Jazz crawled all the way back and took the lead in a contest that grew progressively more heated, culminating in Jimmy standing over Joe Ingles, who I’m still not convinced isn’t a 2K create-a-player brought to life, for which he drew a technical foul. Derrick Favors (21 points and 15 boards) and Enes Kanter (19 points on 9-13 from the floor) gave the Jazz fans and franchise a glimpse of their potential together down low, taking advantage of Joakim Noah’s more slender frame and Gasol’s decline in mobility.

The technical foul on Jimmy activated his Attack Mode, and combined with Rose returning for the final minutes, the offense got back in gear. Noah answered on the defensive end with two huge stops. Still, Utah had the ball up one with less than 30 seconds left, at least until an ill-advised behind-the-back pass from Trey Burke (18 points and ten assists) ended up in Butler’s hands. He went one-on-two attacking the rim, only to be denied without the foul call, but his aggression drew both retreating defenders, leaving Mike Dunleavy to clean up the mess and give the Bulls the lead. After a missed Favors jumper in the paint and Gasol splitting a pair at the line, Utah was able to get Hayward a decent look from three for all the marbles, it just didn’t connect and Chicago survived.

Overall, Rose encouraged with 18 points and five assists in 25 minutes, as did Pau, who posted 23 and nine on 11-20 shooting in 37 minutes. The question with both though is how they will respond, especially on a back-to-back in Denver tomorrow night. Gasol again showed he is a completely different player with rest. The minutes and compressed schedule before his injury deflated his effectiveness and watching him work tonight was like night and day. Nikola Mirotic held his own in 28 minutes off the bench, so there’s no reason for Pau to get overworked in the coming months.

Three games remain on the accursed circus trip. Denver, Boston and Brooklyn are all winnable games, but in the grand scheme of things, staying healthy and just going 1-2 to escape the trip at 3-4 is really all they need.

The post Bulls Survive Utah Comeback, Avoid Collapse In Rose’s Return appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

@Doug88888 | Flickr

Jerry Reinsdorf will breathe a little easier today, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Erik Murphy, whom the Chicago Bulls waived on Thursday, has been claimed by the Utah Jazz.

The move caught most people off-guard on Thursday, as waiving Murphy didn’t make any sense in and of itself. It opened a roster spot — speculation has said roster spot being filled by either Mike James or Ronnie Brewer — but without changing the chances of the Bulls paying the luxury tax. However, now that Murphy’s been claimed, his salary comes off the Bulls’ cap sheet, which is big. The Bulls now sit $883,172 below the tax line, enough to absorb a $250,000 bonus to Taj Gibson if he were to make 2nd team All-Defense and a $500,000 bonus to Joakim Noah were he to make 1st team All-NBA, AND signing either James or Brewer for the duration of the season.

Murphy, of course, didn’t play much at all here in Chicago, and his release robs me of my dream of seeing Kirk Hinrich, Jimmer Fredette, Toko Shengelia, Mike Dunleavy and Murphy share the court at the same time. I did think he might help down the road as a stretch four, but he’s functionally useless right now. But the Bulls did seem to like him, and they’re all very pleased to see him land on his feet.

Bulls players, coaches effusively happy that Erik Murphy got claimed off waivers by Utah. "He works too hard," Taj Gibson said.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 5, 2014

In the meantime, let’s hope GarPax opts for Brewer over James. A fourth point guard serves no purpose, and while Brewer figures to take minutes from Tony Snell, he’s still an elite defender and he can help. Mike James can’t.

The post Erik Murphy claimed by Utah Jazz, Jerry Reinsdorf rejoices appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Bart Everson | Flickr

So.

I really don’t know what to say. In nine days, we’ve gone from a shellacking of the then-undefeated Indiana Pacers to losing to the previously 1-14 Utah Jazz in what really should’ve been a blowout. By the Jazz, that is.

Derrick Rose is out for the year after tearing his meniscus. Jimmy Butler is hurt. Joakim Noah isn’t quite right. Kirk Hinrich is terrible. Marquis Teague is similarly terrible, as much as it pains me to say it. This team isn’t going anywhere and Tom Thibodeau isn’t going to tank. We’re so screwed.

Anyway, on to what we learned. Let’s see how long I can keep this going before it devolves into incoherent swearing.

1. Tony Snell seems like he could be OK.

Thibs shocked the world by announcing shortly before the game that little-used rookie Tony Snell would receive his first career start. Apparently, this was done to allow Mike Dunleavy to anchor the second unit, which would’ve gone better if he hadn’t gone 1/8 from the field. Anyway, Snell scored 9 points on 3/7 from the field and hit the Bulls’ only three pointer of the game. He wasn’t exactly electric or anything, but he was OK, which is a lot more than I can say about the rest of the team. He does what he needs to do defensively and he’s aware of his limitations on offense. I’ll take it, at this point.

2. This is the Luol Deng & Carlos Boozer Show now.

Deng and Boozer combined to take 41 shots. The rest of the team combined to take 38. I don’t know if that’s good or bad – Deng basically took over for much of the fourth quarter to drag the Bulls kicking and screaming into overtime, for whatever that’s worth — but it doesn’t figure to change going forward. Those two are the only players left on the team who have any semblance of shot creating ability, as long as Teague refuses to stop sucking. So get ready for a whole bunch of contested 15-20 footers the rest of the way.

I sincerely don’t know what else to say. The rest of this season is going to be rough in a way that I don’t think any of us are really prepared for. Deng might end up traded, as might some other guys. Jimmy will be back eventually, and that will help, but without Rose, this team is borderline unwatchable.

The Bulls have today off before they take on the Detroit Pistons on the road. May god have mercy on our souls and we travel once more into the breach.

The post Utah Jazz 89, Chicago Bulls 83: What did we learn? appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.

Jazz Injury Report:
Francisco Elson: Left knee inflamation (questionable)
Paul Milsap: Bruised left big toe (probable)
Mehmet Okur: Strained lower back (out indefinitely)

Overview:
Monday night in Portland, the Bulls were exploited (read that: humiliated) on defense by a big man (LaMarcus Aldridge scored a career-high 42 points) and a point guard (Andre Miller dished 11 assists to go with the 27 points he scored on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and 13-for-13 from the line).

Tonight, the Bulls face a Jazz team with an All-Star point guard in Deron Williams and two productive big men in Paul Milsap (17.1 PPG with a PER of 19.9) and Al Jefferson (17.1 PPG with a PER of 18.7).

That’s worrisome. Just as worrisome is the fact that the Bulls have looked bad (especially on defense) in two consecutive road losses which dropped them to 11-12 outside of Chicago.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to expect from the Jazz. Check out their game log. Their season has had almost as many downs as ups. Sure, they’re nine games over .500, but their point differential is barely above the break-even point (+0.1) and Basketball-Reference has calculated their Expected Win-Loss record at 27-26.

Almost everything about Utah screams “average team.”

Still, looking at their stats and rankings, we know the Jazz are 1) a top ten offensive team and 2) bordering on being elite at forcing turnovers and drawing fouls. Note that the Bulls committed 17 turnovers in their loss at Golden State and gave up 40 free throw attempts in their defeat at Portland.

More bad news: The Bulls have lost 11 of their last 14 games in Utah.

This game will be interesting.

We get to see Derrick Rose go head-to-head with another elite point guard. After the way Andre Miller stole his lunch money on Monday, and the way Nicolas Batum trashed his defense, I expect Rose to come out unusually fired up.

We get to watch Carlos Boozer return to Utah. Salt City Hoops has a nice retrospective on Boozer’s time in Utah.

We get to see how much pride this team has. They’ve been punked in back-to-back games and their league-leading defense (according to Defensive Rating) has been humbled. How will they respond?

The post Bulls-Jazz Preview appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

What, did the mayor give Deron Williams the key to the city or something? Because he totally owned Chicago last night.

The AP game notes pretty much said it all: Utah’s 132 points, 34 assists and 3-point percentage (.600) were season-highs for a Bulls opponent. Except for one dunk — more on that below — the Jazz didn’t do anything spectacular. They simply fought, hustled and executed the Bulls to death.

Ouch.

And just like that, Chicago has fallen out of the top 10 in Defensive Efficiency. They also tied a rather ominous season high with their fifth straight loss, falling a game below .500 in the process (31-32).

Double ouch.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this particular loss is how well the Bulls executed on offense. Mind you, the Jazz are currently ranked 9th in Defensive Efficiency, yet the Bulls shot 54 percent from the field, better than 53 percent in threes (8-for-15), and racked up 20 fast break points. And then they lost by 24. At home.

Triple ouch.

The Bulls really might as well have put a welcome mat in the paint. That’s how easy a time the Jazz had in there. Utah got 21 layups and two dunks, including one in which Deron Williams posterized Derrick Rose. What’s more, the Jazz dominated the glass (42-32). That total included a 14-6 edge in offensive rebounds. And did I mention Utah earned 39 free throw attempts? Oh, and they scored 24 points off 16 Chicago turnovers.

So, basically, the Jazz either hit the shot, earned a second chance, got fouled, or got the ball right back. There quite literally was no stopping them last night. And let me tell you, several of those free throw were the result of fouls right at the bucket. There was no keeping the Jazz away from the rim…and collapsing on them was just as bad, considering they went 12-for-20 from beyond the arc, including 6-for-7 by C.J. Miles and 2-for-2 from Wesley Matthews.

The absence of Joakim Noah is killing the Bulls.

Brad Miller is a fantastic offensive center. (Most of the time, anyway.) Last night, he scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-3 from downtown. Miller even added 3 assists for good measure. But he had only 4 rebounds in 33 minutes. Utah’s Paul Millsap logged 32 minutes and finished with 9 boards, including 6 on the offensive end. His impact was huge.

The Bulls needed somebody like that. A physical player who could bring some much-needed energy and grit off the bench. A lot of people were hoping Chris Richard could be that guy. Unfortunately, Richard was pretty ineffective, finishing with 2 rebounds and 5 fouls in 17 minutes. Nice guy. Hard worker. But I guess he spent much of this season in the NBA Developmental League for a reason.

Maybe that guy could have been James Johnson. After all, JJ chipped in 7 points (3-for-5) and 4 rebounds in only 11 minutes of PT. Plus, the Bulls had exactly 1 blocked shot on the night…and Johnson was responsible for it. Yeah, he bricked a couple free throws, but why not give Johnson a shot? Vinny Del Negro needs to unleash this kid. Tell him to go out, get rough, and just bang bodies in the paint. What do we have to lose at this point?

Let’s not forget, Deron Williams was awesome. Williams had game highs in points (28) and assists (17) while shooting 11-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 in threes. Derrick Rose couldn’t stop him. Kirk Hinrich couldn’t stop him. Williams dominated the game. Controlled it. Owned it. Forget the stats. Williams put on a virtuoso performance. Maybe it was his Booms Beard Lite. But it says something about him that he could so vastly outplay a fellow All-Star like Rose, who had a pretty good game himself (25 points, 13 assists, 4 rebounds).

Said Rose: “He’s always someone I looked up to and I thought he played real well tonight.”

Yeah. You could say that.

Carlos Boozer — the soon-to-be-a-free-agent big man who might be on Chicago’s offseason radar — had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) plus 5 assists, but he got caught up in the Deron and Derrick Show.

Said Boozer: “That was a helluva matchup. Did you have fun watching that? Because I did. You got to incredible point guards pushing the ball,” Boozer said. “That was one helluva matchup we just watched out there. A great game to watch. I’m going to get that tape and review myself. Those two guys, man … they kept pushing the ball, so everybody kept running. It was a great game.”

Not for the Bulls. No loss is great, and this one carried more weight than most. As you can see from the season standings, Chicago now ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Bulls would be on the outside looking in. Man, a few weeks ago it looked like Chicago had a realistic chance at the fifth or sixth seed. Now it looks like they have a realistic shot at the NBA Draft Lottery.

As if things aren’t bad enough — remember, the Bulls have lost a season-high five games, including the last four at home — next up is a four-game road swing through Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas. Then the Bulls get to come home for a game against the Cavaliers.

I’m really dreading the next week and a half.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Advanced Box Score, Play-By-Play, Shot Chart, Photos

The post Muzak: Jazz 132, Bulls 108 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Make that four blowouts in the last four games, during which the Bulls have been outscored by a combined 77 points. They are now 1-4 on their annual circus trip…although it feels more like 1-14.

Chicago’s already shaky depth took another blow when Kirk Hinrich joined Tyrus Thomas (left forearm fracture) on the injured list due to a sprained left thumb. The extent of Kirk’s injury is currently unclear, as is how much time he’ll miss because of it.

Of course, Utah coach Jerry Sloan and the rest of the Jazz didn’t want to hear about Chicago’s injury woes. Utah had nine available players and used only eight until human victory cigar Kosta Koufos entered the game late in the fourth quarter. The Jazz were without key role players C.J. Miles, Ronnie Price and Kyle Korver. They had one backup guard. One. And that was rookie Eric Maynor. So, yeah, the Jazz have had problems of their own.

Although, clearly, the Bulls have bigger problems.

Pain in the Paint:
This is one problem the Bulls just can’t seem to solve. They gave up 10 dunks and 13 layups. They were outscored 62-42 in the paint. As always, the opposing frontcourt destroyed Chicago’s big men. Carlos Boozer put on a show by scoring 28 points on nearly perfect 12-for-14 shooting. He also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocked shots and a steal. Mehmet Okur added 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 2-for-2 from downtown. Backup Paul Milsap went 6-for-8 off the bench and finished with a near double-double (12 points, 9 boards).

By contrast, Chicago’s starting frontcourt of Joakim Noah (6 points, 3-for-9, 9 rebounds, 3 turnovers) and Taj Gibson (8 points, 6 boards, 3 turnovers) battled foul trouble all night. Joakim finished with 5 personals and Gibson fouled out. Meanwhile, Brad Miller (no points, 0-for-2, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) looked so painfully old and slow, I half-expected him to announce his retirement after the game. Oh, and Aaron Gray (1 point, 0-for-1, 1 rebound) looked like, well, like Aaron Gray.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Bulls need Tyrus back. Badly.

D-Fense:
What a difference four games can make. After beating the Kings in Sacramento, the Bulls ranked 4th in the league in Defensive Rating. After last night’s defensive no-show — the Jazz hit almost 61 percent of their field goals and scored 105 points in only 89 possessions — Chicago has dropped to 15th in Defensive Ratting (105.9 Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions).

Truly offensive:
The energy the Bulls are saving on defense hasn’t been redirected to their offense. After scoring 86 points on 42 percent shooting in Utah, the Bulls rank 27th in Offensive Rating (98.8 Points Per 100 Possessions). Oh, and here’s some lemon juice for that wound: the Bulls are tied with one other team for the fewest 100-point games (1) this season. The team? The winless New Jersey Nets (0-15).

Small consolations:
The Bulls won the rebounding battle (39-36, 13-9 on the offensive glass) for the first time in four games. They were +3 in points off turnovers and +11 in fast break points. That’s pretty much it.

Player of the Game:
Even though he shot poorly from the field (8-for-20, including 2-for-8 on layup attempts), Luol Deng was the only player who came anywhere close to bringing his best last night. He finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and no turnovers. He was also aggressive enough to earn 11 foul shots. (The rest of the Bulls’ starting lineup earned exactly one foul shot.) Based on how Noah has been manhandled in the last three losses, Deng has offiically become Chicago’s early-season MVP.

Derrick Rose:
Aggressive looking for his shot? Yes. Rose was 9-for-17 for 19 points. Effective in getting his teammates involved? No. Rose finished with 2 assists and 4 turnovers in 38 minutes. That gives him 10 assists (versus 11 turnovers) in his last 113 minutes of playing time. Forget about his difficulty in getting to the hoop the way Bulls fans are accustomed to. His inability to lift his teammates is becoming a grave concern.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Play-By-Play, Shot Chart, Photos.

The post Circus Trip Game 5: Jazz 105, Bulls 86 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

James Johnson already has a game-winner on his NBA resume.

Well, that was fun. Buzzer-beating wins like Chicago’s 102-101 victory over Utah always get fans and players psyched up…even if nobody will remember them come playoff time. Like I said before, preseason games have relatively little to do with regular season (or postseason) success. Although maybe that’s less true for some of the Bulls than it is for players on other teams. Redemption might be the one-word mission statement for guys like Luol Deng (who has disappointed for two straight seasons due to injuries), Kirk Hinrich (who last season lost his starting to Derrick Rose and has had to endure almost constant trade speculation), and Jannero Pargo (who skipped the 2008-09 campaign to play overseas). And rookies like James Johnson and Taj Gibson obviously want to make names for themselves in the Association.

Guys who looked good:
The game took place in London, which meant adopted native son Deng — who had to skip playing with the British National team in the Eurobasket 2009 tournament — got the chance to show off for his peeps. And that’s exactly what he did, scoring a co-game-high 18 points to go along with 2 rebounds, a co-game-high 5 assists and 2 blocked shots in only 25 minutes of action. More importantly, his shooting picked up significantly from the first preseason game as Luol went 8-for-12, which included some nice slashing baskets and 1-for-1 marksmanship from downtown. As a Bulls fan, seeing him play like that made relief wash over me in an awesome wave. Not that I want to get too excited. It’s only the preseason. But still…

Despite Deng’s heat, Johnson stole the show. Maybe he was embarrassed after his poor showing in the first preseason game (in which he didn’t grab a single rebound and fouled out in 20 minutes), because the rookie not only matched Deng’s (and Utah’s Paul Milsap’s) game-high 18 points, he also snared a game-high 8 rebounds (including a game-high 5 offensive boards) to go with 2 assists and 2 shot swats. He was also aggressive enough to earn several trips to the charity stripe, where he went a perfect 7-for-7. Johnson’s biggest play of the night was rebounding a Derrick Byars’ miss and sinking the game-winning fallaway shot at the buzzer. Said Johnson: “Just shoot it, that was the only instinct. I knew we didn’t have much time on the clock. I just tried to let it go as fast as I can before the clock ran out.” It was enough to make me overlook his not-great shooting (5-for-12), five personal fouls and co-game-high 4 turnovers.

Captain Kirk, starting at point guard in place of the injured Derrick Rose, went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field (including 2-for-2 from downtown) and finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in 26 minutes. Have I mentioned how glad I am to have Kirk backing up Rose and (probably) John Salmons this season? I’m telling you, he’s going to be the best reserve combo guard in the league.

Guys who looked both good and bad:
Gibson came down a little from the first preseason game, but he still finished with the respectable line of 10 points (4-for-8), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. Unfortunately, he fouled out in 33 minutes and matched Johnson’s 4 turnovers.

Joakim Noah impressed by dishing out 4 assists, earning a team-high eight free throws, and blocking 6 (!!!) shots. I loved watching Joakim go after the ball. What I didn’t love were the 4 turnovers and the fact that he was outrebounded by Kirk Hinrich 7-to-3.

In his official NBA return, Pargo scored 16 points, dished out 5 assists, knocked down a trio of threes, and even blocked a shot, which is quite an accomplishment for such a wee little man. But it took him a game-high 17 shots to rack up those points, proving that he still isn’t hesitant to shoot the ball. He also fouled out in 35 minutes.

Guys who didn’t play:
Rose (sore right Achilles’ tendon and ankle), Salmons (personal reasons), Tyrus Thomas (right hip contusion).

Reasons for hope:
With Hinrich and Pargo available, the Bulls went 8-for-16 from downtown. In fact, the Bulls shot nearly 51 percent (36-for-71) as a team. They also won the rebounding battle 42-35.

Reasons for concern:
Despite grabbing 7 more rebounds than the Jazz, the Bulls gave up 14 offensive rebounds. Chicago was one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the league last season, so that’s something I’m keeping my beady eyes on. Worse than the defensive rebounding problem was the fact that the Bulls had trouble holding onto the rock. They committed 23 turnovers, which resulted in 30 points for the Jazz. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that giving your opponent 14 second opportunities and 30 bonus points is (usually) a sure-fire way to lose games.

Deng health update:
According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: “The stress fracture in his right leg that sidelined Deng for the final 29 games last season continues to dictate a stringent minutes plan, even if he’s the local hero. ‘It still gets a little sore, but it’s way less,’ Deng said. ‘I think that helps my confidence. Going into the game, it felt great. I didn’t even think about it at all. We just need to keep managing the minutes and getting treatment; stay with the plan for the preseason.'”

It’s probably nothing, but that “it still gets a little sore” comment from Luol made me feel a little queasy.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Photos

The post Preseason Game Two: Bulls vs. Jazz appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

So of course it’s time for a fresh round of Boozer trade rumors, most of which involve yooooooouuuur Chicago Bulls! The rumor that won’t seem to die no matter how many time a stake gets driven through its heart is that three-team deal between Chicago, Portland and Utah. To refresh your memory, the supposed trade would send Kirk Hinrich to the Trail Blazers and Tyrus Thomas to the Jazz while bringing Boozer to the Windy City.

What’s holding the process up? John Hollinger has a thought on the matter: “Bulls want something extra from Portland if they’re going to include Tyrus Thomas, but Blazers don’t want to part with their prospects.”

It’s likely the Bulls would want a guard in return, because trading Captain Kirk would leave them a little thin in the back court. I mean, Lindsey Hunter can’t be expected to play 30 minutes a game. Not without random body parts falling off.

Another problem with the trade is that the Jazz — who have around $81 million in salary on the books as of right now — want to get under the $69.9 million luxury tax limit. Salary cap calculations are way above my head, so it’s entirely possible I’m missing something. But as it stands, I don’t see how the Kirk-Tyrus-Boozer scenario would help the Jazz avoid the luxury tax.

Meanwhile, certain things are flying below the rumor radar. To wit, the Bulls worked out Sean May in Las Vegas. You may or may not remember him — my money’s on “not” — as the power forward who rarely played for the Charlotte Bobcats last season because of chronic weight problems. Hey, who doesn’t love curly fries, right? Anyway, May claims to have received a commitment from a team, and I doubt it was the Bulls.

The post So the Jazz will keep Paul Millsap… appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Adorable puppy sold separately.

Carlos Boozer had a nice little chat with ESPN Radio 1000’s Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman today, during which he confirmed that the Jazz have agreed to trade him. When asked whether he might be shipped to Chi-town, Boozer said: “I definitely heard a little rumbling about it, whether it will go down or not. It’s kind of between the Jazz and Chicago but obviously if I did get traded to Chicago, I’d love to be a part of the Bulls.”

Furthermore, he described the Bulls thusly: “Great organization, top notch from top to bottom. They do things very professionally there. At the same time they have a good group of talent there. Obviously with Derrick Rose at the helm and being Rookie of the Year last year and having some very good talent around him. Very good team. If I was able to come there, I’d bring a lot, especially in the low post and being a leader as well. We’ll see what happens.”

Can you feel the love? I can.

Boozer also discussed his admiration for Derrick Rose, the notion that he might lure Dwyane Wade to Chicago next summer, and whether he could stay healthy before reiterating that he’d “love to be part of the Chicago Bulls.” Go here for the full transcript.

So…could a Boozer trade happen? Possibly. According to John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times: “The Jazz, which already has more than $73 million in salary commitments for the upcoming season, is desperate to unload Boozer’s $12.7 million salary and there aren’t many teams willing to take on a big contract right now. The Bulls might be able to swing a deal with an offer of Tyrus Thomas ($4.7 million) and the expiring contract of Jerome James ($6.6 million). That exchange would save the Jazz roughly $1.3 million and get them closer to the luxury-tax threshold of $69.92 million.”

The bad news: That deal would push the Bulls over the dreaded luxury tax threshold, and you know how hard management has been working to avoid that. So acquiring Boozer would probably require some additional wheeling and dealing before it comes what you would call “financially viable.” Unless of course Ebenezer Scrooge, er, that is, Jerry Reinsdorf decided to overpay a little bit to field what could be a pretty sweet team.

The post Boozer-to-Bulls rumors heating up again appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Oh sure, technically speaking, anything could happen. The Bulls could trade for Boozer next week. MJ could come out of retirement. I could discover a chemical formula that transforms pure evil into delicious candy.

A lot of things couldhappen. This one specific thing, barring circumstances unforeseen, will not.

It’s probably just as well. The Utah Jazz, by all indications, don’t want Carlos Boozer anymore. Typically speaking, NBA teams do not lightly dismiss players who can average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game. But in Boozer’s case, there are questions regarding his durability (he’s missed 134 games during his five seasons with the Jazz) as well as his desire.

Is that the kind of player the Bulls want to bring in? Particularly in a potential two-for-one swap? Why give up Kirk Hinrich (which could cripple the team’s back court depth) and Tyrus Thomas (who might explode in 2009-10 given that it’s a contract year for him) in return for a potential locker room cancer who might miss half a season and not even re-sign with the team after his contract expires next summer?

It seems kind of silly when you look at it that way, but that’s what happens when a team spends year after year longing for somebody, anybody who can score in the low post. It’s a bad sign when fans start longing for the halcyon days of the Michael Sweetney Era. And it’s especially frustrating for Bulls fans, who had to deal with the loss of Ben Gordon while the league’s rich got even richer: Boston got Rasheed Wallace, Cleveland got Shaq, L.A. got Ron Artest and San Antonio got Richard Jefferson (not to mention Antonio McDyess).

It makes sense that the fans wanted to see a move. Something big, something juicy.

But sometimes, staying the course might be the best plan of action. Or inaction, as the case may be.

As things stand right now, the Bulls have a solid core of players — a budding All-Star-in-the-making, a few savvy vets, some developing youngsters — and enough expiring contracts to make a major move next summer or at the trade deadline. And Chicago will certainly be a much more attractive free agent destination if the Bulls can match last season’s success than if they fell apart because Boozer took his usual 30-40 game vacation and our back court players broke down from playing too many minutes.

Now, if the Jazz wanted to trade Boozer for some loose parts off the Bulls’ scrap pile — Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Anthony Roberson — then let’s get it done. And while we’re dreaming, maybe they’ll trade us Deron Williams for Brad Miller’s expiring contract.

But barring some mass hysteria and insanity in Utah, I guess Bulls fans will have to be satisfied with some incremental progress and hope for the future.

The post Boozer-to-Bulls rumors cooling down appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.