The Bulls have seven unrestricted free agents coming into this summer. I don’t see them even talking to any of these guys until after they get near the cap limit as they have bigger fish to go after. That doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t like to bring guys like Brad Miller, Flip Murray, Jannero Pargo, Hakim Warrick or even Acie Law back for the 2010-11 season but they will be bench filler to the roster if re-signed. Joe Alexander might come back as he missed all of last season and the Bulls could probably get him for pennies on a dollar because of that. Devin Brown though looks like a goner as he didn’t do much after coming over from the Hornets in a trade last season.

34-year old center Brad Miller seems to be adjusting to his new role as a backup center. He played in 82 games (37 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 23.8 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Miller has now played in 793 games (592 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 29.5 minutes, 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Miller is almost the perfect complement to starting center Joakim Noah as he is a good outside shooter. I see his minutes getting cut even more in 2010-11 if he comes back to the Bulls as he will be a unrestricted free agent this summer.

25-year old center Joakim Noah took his game to a new level last season but I have a feeling that he won’t get much better. Still, he played in 64 games (54 starts) last season in which he averaged 30.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 11.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Those numbers are very solid for a starting center in the NBA but his game is all in the paint as he doesn’t have much of a jump shot so I don’t see him putting up 15+ points per game any time soon. Noah has now played in 218 games (140 starts) in his three years with the Bulls in which he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 7.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

The LeBron James free-agency situation has been the topic of sports sections, sites, and blogs for quite a while now, but ever since LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals the rumors have been spreading around the web like wildfire.  The Chicago Bulls have been in the conversation for a possible destination for LeBron for some time now, along with the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers.  Signs and rumors are starting to point towards Chicago being the front-runner for LeBron.  There is also a rumor that University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari is being pursued to come in as a package deal with LeBron.  Now Calipari has repeatedly denied that he has any interest in leaving Kentucky, but his word is not exactly set in stone.  He left the University of Memphis after numerous denials as recent as the day before he left for Kentucky.  He also has a track record of breaking NCAA rules, or finding a way around them, so you can’t ever really believe what Calipari says until something happens.

Calipari is a very good coach though, and although it would be great to see Calipari take another shot at the NBA and reunite with Derrick Rose, I don’t think it matters when it comes to signing LeBron.  It doesn’t matter whether there is any truth to any of these rumors because Chicago is the obvious choice, regardless of the coach, if winning is what LeBron really wants.  With guys like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and Taj Gibson the Bulls have the most weapons to surround LeBron.  He has publicly praised Derrick Rose and according to the Daily Herald, LeBron has talked to Rose about how he would like to be his teammate.  LeBron was highly scrutinized for the way the Cavaliers were elminated by the Celtics this season, so leaving Cleveland will be extremely difficult.  If he decides to leave though, Chicago is the obvious choice to me.  The fact of the matter is that out of all the teams capable of signing LeBron (including the Cavs), the Bulls give him the best chance to win his first NBA Championship.  If he leaves and doesn’t come to the Bulls, it will show LeBron’s motives aren’t all about winning.  If he goes to New York or New Jersey (who is planning to move the team to Brooklyn) I think it shows that LeBron cares just as much or more about expanding his image and corporate name, than actually winning a championship.

The Chicago Bulls finally announced the firing of head coach Vinny Del Negro today after months of speculation that he would be getting the axe.  In two seasons with the Bulls, Del Negro went 82-82 and brought the Bulls to two straight Eastern Conference playoff appearances, despite numerous injuries to his top players this season.  He helped Derrick Rose flourish into the Rookie of the Year last season and an All-Star this season.  Rookie Taj Gibson played very well in Del Negro’s system, making the All-Rookie team under his guidance.  Then there is Joakim Noah, who became one of the best rebounders and one of top hustlers in the league under Del Negro’s watch.  Obviously Vinny had some success developing his young Bulls’ squad, but he also had his fair share of struggles.  John Salmons started playing like an All-Star when he left Del Negro and Chicago for Milwaukee, helping them take the Atlanta Hawks to seven games in round one.  He couldn’t get much out of Tyrus Thomas either, and the two butted heads a few times before Thomas was traded to Charlotte.  Kirk Hinrich did not play well at all in his two year’s with Del Negro, but Hinrich deserves much of the blame on that one.  Either way, Vinny had his ups and downs as the Bulls head coach, but overall I think he did a pretty good job.  I think the Bulls fired him for different reasons other than purely performance based though, and in the end I think it was the right move.

Although Vinny did a decent job, the Bulls had high expectations and he did not get along with John Paxson and the rest of the Bulls’ management.  They weren’t really on the same page, with the infamous physical altercation late in the season between Del Negro and Paxson proving that.  Now the Bulls say that had nothing to do with the firing, but who are they kidding?  It had to have something to do with it.  Paxson and the Bulls’ management obviously didn’t like Vinny as the head coach going into this big free agent offseason, and I think that is the main reason the Bulls fired him.  They want a bigger name, with more experience and better credentials to be the head coach once the star-studded free agency starts this offseason.  Guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Joe Johnson are less likely to play for a guy like Vinny Del Negro than they are, say a, Doug Collins or Avery Johnson.  There is also the rumor that Phil Jackson could be an option to return to Chicago.  So, Vinny didn’t necessarily deserve to be fired when you judge it by the Bulls performance the last two seasons, but it makes sense why the Bulls want to go in a new direction.  Going after a more experienced and respected coach to help lure in one of the big free agents this offseason definitely makes sense.  So, was the firing fair to Del Negro?  Probably not.  Was it the right move by the Bulls?  Yes.