Bad News from Chicago

["Josh Farber" <nbaj2k@home.com>]

This isn't good!  That's unless Pitino can get a direct flight to Chicago
immediately to change Ron's mind!

Who else is left for us to get this offseason besides a backup point guard.

Josh
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Mercer likely to sign with Bulls
By Sam Smith
Pro Basketball Writer

August 1, 2000

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Since 1994 the Bulls have tried to trade, on various occasions, for three
top young shooting guards, all of whom were free agents this summer-Eddie
Jones, Tracy McGrady and Ron Mercer.

And then there was one.

That's Mercer, the much-traveled shooter from the University of Kentucky
whom the Bulls were believed close to signing early Tuesday as the
free-agent signing moratorium ended. Jones became the latest free agent to
turn down the Bulls on Monday when he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that
will send him from Charlotte to Miami.

Mercer, who was drafted by Boston in 1997, was the second-leading scorer for
the Celtics for two seasons but was traded to Denver before last season.
During last season he was traded to Orlando, and he finished the season
averaging 16.9 points a game. Though he once was regarded as among the top
five free agents who would be available this summer, interest in him
declined with the trades and whispers he was a selfish player.

He also was said to be talking to the New Jersey Nets and considering a
Bulls offer that would pay him about $5 million a year. The Nets' chances
were diminished, though, when the NBA denied a special medical exception for
Jayson Williams on Monday.

The Bulls also are expected to talk with Charlotte free-agent backup center
Brad Miller, who arrived to meet with team officials Monday night. They are
expected to make him an offer, and also have extended an offer to Indiana
Pacers forward Austin Croshere. Croshere also has talked with the Toronto
Raptors, but is said to be close to accepting an Indiana Pacers' offer of
more than $6 million a season over six years to return.

Obtaining Miller, a 6-foot-11-inch center, and Mercer would at least fill
two positions for the Bulls to go along with Elton Brand,Ron Artest and
rookies Marcus Fizer and Jamal Crawford

The Bulls reportedly were extremely close to signing Jones, but the Heat
late Monday expanded a trade offer to include starters Jamal Mashburn and
P.J. Brown. Sources say Jones, using the Bulls effectively as leverage,
agreed to a deal with the Bulls on Monday. That prompted Miami to add Brown
to its offer, clinching the deal.

Brown and Mashburn are now expected to go to Charlotte on Tuesday, when
Jones can officially be signed and traded. Six other players are expected to
be added to the deal for salary-cap reasons, including Charlotte forward
Anthony Mason. The other players in the deal are expected to be Ricky Davis
and Dale Ellis from Charlotte and Otis Thorpe, Rodney Buford and Tim James
from Miami.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic is expected to announce the signings of McGrady
and Detroit Pistons All-Star forward Grant Hill, the two top players
expected to change teams among the top free agents in the class of 2000.

All can make commitments Tuesday after becoming free agents July 1, and San
Antonio's Tim Duncan, Indiana's Jalen Rose and Milwaukee's Tim Thomas all
are expected to re-sign with their teams.

That would be a huge disappointment to the Bulls, who spent the last two
seasons after the end of their championship run accumulating about $20
million in room under the salary cap to sign two of the top free agents from
this class. The dream scenario was to sign Duncan and Hill, though it always
was considered a long shot.

But the Bulls believed they had a good chance to sign McGrady and Jones, or
perhaps Thomas. They felt two of those players, added to co-rookie of the
year Brand, would help re-establish them as contenders.

But all, in the end, rejected the Bulls' offers of the maximum salary
allowable under the salary cap, which for acquiring teams starts at about
$9.5 million and increases by 10 percent per year over six years. A player
re-signing can get a seven-year deal with 12.5 percent raises.

"I'm so busy I haven't had time to think about it [the effect of not getting
commitments from the top free agents]," Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause
said late Monday. "We're working toward improving this basketball team."

But that will be difficult without signing one of the top free agents. The
Bulls are left with an inexperienced team of mostly young players and high
draft picks that can be expected to do little more than last year's 17-win
team.

The addition of Mercer would help in taking some scoring pressure off the
young players, but the 6-7 Mercer is not generally regarded as a go-to
scorer who can carry a team. Interestingly, the Bulls were prepared to draft
Mercer and McGrady in 1997 with the two first-round draft picks they would
have gotten from the Celtics in a much-discussed trade for Scottie Pippen.

In 1994, when the Bulls didn't believe Michael Jordan would return from
retirement, they were close to trading Pippen for Shawn Kemp and using a
swapped draft pick from Seattle for Jones. The Bulls also tried to get Jones
again before last season in a Pippen deal, but the Lakers didn't want Pippen
at his salary demands.

Now there's also talk that Kemp will be traded from Cleveland to Portland
for free-agent forward Brian Grant, whom the Blazers are trying to sign so
they can trade him.

There also has been talk of a Portland deal for New York's Patrick Ewing.
The 76ers are anxious to trade Allen Iverson, and the Pistons have been
among several teams considering such a deal. If the Trail Blazers trade for
Kemp, who would play some center, the Bulls might pursue backup Jermaine
O'Neal for Fizer.

The Bulls also have some interest in reacquiring free agent Toni Kukoc.

But the Bulls probably will retain most of their salary-cap space so they
can be in position to facilitate deals between other teams and either get
draft picks or veteran players as compensation.