WT- Nate unlikely to be back (WAIT! + instagram pic pg 81!)

[HomoSapien]

That's really cool of Camby.

[Jvaughn]

People say with Rose back, Nate's role is no longer needed, so Kirk>Nate. I think it's just the opposite. With Rose back, Kirk's role is unnecessary. Rose will be back to run the offense, and if he's back to normal he's also a good defender. Behind him I'd prefer an explosive guy who can spark that 2nd unit. Kirk doesn't really have a role anymore.

[HomoSapien]

Right now, these guys are Nate's competition:

Mo Williams
Chauncey Billups
Toney Douglass
JLIII
Sebastian Telfair
Pargo
Daniel Gibson
Rodrique Beaubois (I'd want us to consider him if we lose Nate)
DJ Augistin
Derek Fisher
Gary Neal
Chris Duhon
Ronnie Price
Leandro Barbosa
Jeremy Pargo


Teague and Jennings also still need homes. I don't think Nate gets paid this offseason. I would think Jennings, Teague, Mo Wiliams, Billups, and Neal will get contracts before him.

[HomoSapien]

All that said, Marc Stein's report on Twitter that the Jazz are entertaining the idea of signing 30-year-old point guard John Lucas is a logical one. Lucas walked into Amway Center with Jazz Director of Basketball Operations Richard Smith. Then, the two watched at least one game, Pacers/Sixers, together. In his tweet, Stein said, Lucas was spotted huddling with the Jazz.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsjazzn ... n.html.csp

[Ben]

Right now, these guys are Nate's competition:

Mo Williams
Chauncey Billups
Toney Douglass
JLIII
Sebastian Telfair
Pargo
Daniel Gibson
Rodrique Beaubois (I'd want us to consider him if we lose Nate)
DJ Augistin
Derek Fisher
Gary Neal
Chris Duhon
Ronnie Price
Leandro Barbosa
Jeremy Pargo


Teague and Jennings also still need homes. I don't think Nate gets paid this offseason. I would think Jennings, Teague, Mo Wiliams, Billups, and Neal will get contracts before him.

Well, Teague is probably either staying with Atlanta or going to Milwaukee, and vice versa for Jennings. I don't see those guys as competing with Nate for a spot. Competition is more likely the first 5 guys on your list plus Beaubois and Neal, although Neal strikes me as more in the SG category for most teams (in other words, more likely to be recruited by teams looking for 2-guards or for combo guards who are more 2 than 1.

But as I've said before: if Nate's not gonna get paid this offseason, just please let him get not-paid (plus 20%) with us.

[Bimbo_Coles]

People say with Rose back, Nate's role is no longer needed, so Kirk>Nate. I think it's just the opposite. With Rose back, Kirk's role is unnecessary. Rose will be back to run the offense, and if he's back to normal he's also a good defender. Behind him I'd prefer an explosive guy who can spark that 2nd unit. Kirk doesn't really have a role anymore.

If this is the case, think you'd be willing to trade Kirk to the Warriors for one of our TPEs? This brings you below the lux tax, and frees up $ to sign Nate. Dubs are in the market for a vet back-up pg on an expiring deal who can defend bigger guards and knock down the 3. Basically, he'd be perfect for us.

[mhsiao]

Right now, these guys are Nate's competition:

Mo Williams
Chauncey Billups
Toney Douglass
JLIII
Sebastian Telfair
Pargo
Daniel Gibson
Rodrique Beaubois (I'd want us to consider him if we lose Nate)
DJ Augistin
Derek Fisher
Gary Neal
Chris Duhon
Ronnie Price
Leandro Barbosa
Jeremy Pargo


Teague and Jennings also still need homes. I don't think Nate gets paid this offseason. I would think Jennings, Teague, Mo Wiliams, Billups, and Neal will get contracts before him.

I recall Fisher has agreed return to Thunder couple days ago.

But ya Nate isn't going to get paid like he wanted. Teams start to run out cap room and exceptions. He started the season without team and had nice season with Warrior but no one wanted to give him chance expect bulls. JL3 and Nate both are really under size PG but the difference is JL3 probably willing to take anything while Nate wants to get paid after 2 good season at this point.

I would guess Bulls FO has understanding with Nate, FO wants Nate back but also understand Nate's desire to earn long term contact. I guess there will be 2 outcome, either Nate returns to Bulls as 1 year vet min, or Bulls S/T Nate to the team offer him contact for trade exceptions.

[chitownsalesmen]

Without derailing this into an argument none of us want to have, the blanket statement "the rich and wealthy pay little in taxes" is just completely untrue.

replace the word 'the' with 'many' in the above quote and it becomes true

No it does not. The rich pay a large sum of money in taxes to the government on a yearly basis.

Corporations and hedge-fund managers do not.

[samwana]

People say with Rose back, Nate's role is no longer needed, so Kirk>Nate. I think it's just the opposite. With Rose back, Kirk's role is unnecessary. Rose will be back to run the offense, and if he's back to normal he's also a good defender. Behind him I'd prefer an explosive guy who can spark that 2nd unit. Kirk doesn't really have a role anymore.

If this is the case, think you'd be willing to trade Kirk to the Warriors for one of our TPEs? This brings you below the lux tax, and frees up $ to sign Nate. Dubs are in the market for a vet back-up pg on an expiring deal who can defend bigger guards and knock down the 3. Basically, he'd be perfect for us.

I'd do that in a heartbeat, but I think our FO is more attached to Kirk than I am.

[JackFinn]

People say with Rose back, Nate's role is no longer needed, so Kirk>Nate. I think it's just the opposite. With Rose back, Kirk's role is unnecessary. Rose will be back to run the offense, and if he's back to normal he's also a good defender. Behind him I'd prefer an explosive guy who can spark that 2nd unit. Kirk doesn't really have a role anymore.

Put it this way, Nate would be decent in the CJ Watson role.

And as injury insurance for Rose. And sometimes in the clutch, in order to draw some attention away from Rose.

[JackFinn]

No doubt Nate is greatly disappointed right now. He might be too resentful of us for not properly compensating him for all he's done for us last year. If all he can get is the vet min, he might prefer any team but the Bulls. He probably feels that we will short change him again next off-season. He could think that a different team will re-sign him to a decent contract next year if they just got to FEEL what it's like to have The Nate rolling with you.

[Spimothy Leary]

i'm quite curious to see where he ends up, i'm willing to admit i'm a bit surprised that he hasn't found a home yet, I thought some team would have thrown a two year 4 mil offer at him just to see if he'd take it....

[dice]

No doubt Nate is greatly disappointed right now. He might be too resentful of us for not properly compensating him for all he's done for us last year. If all he can get is the vet min, he might prefer any team but the Bulls. He probably feels that we will short change him again next off-season. He could think that a different team will re-sign him to a decent contract next year if they just got to FEEL what it's like to have The Nate rolling with you.

we are not permitted by league rules to offer him more than a 20% raise over last season

[JackFinn]

we are not permitted by league rules to offer him more than a 20% raise over last season

Yeah, but I'm sure he thinks we should have given him the mmle instead of Dunleavy. The 20% will definitely be a plus for us if he only gets worse offers. But I wouldn't be surprised if he took the vet min from another team. I'm also not surprised he's not getting any offers. I just think, with his athleticism and ability to create for himself, he must think that GMs are too fixated on his height. He's scored at a rate of 18 ppg per36 for his career, and had one year where he scored 17 a game(something that a sparkplug like Jannero Pargo never came close to.)

[DASMACKDOWN]

If its the vet minimum, I think Nate comes back if that's all he could get.

[Gregnice33]

Two names that have been thrown around as Nate replacements, R. Foye and W. Bynum, are going elsewhere.

Now that we know we have few options left for a scorer off the bench and Nate isn't drawing much interest how much more likely are we to retain him?

[BahamaBull]

the longer it takes the more I believe Nate will be a Bull next season...

[Krausenator]

I think we will get him back.

The FO already said they plan investing on Teague, that shouldn't stop us getting Nate considering Kirk will most likely be injured at some point in the season and Butler will play some minutes at the 3.

There is room for Nate.

[southpaw954]

I saw this on the Chicago Bulls rumors Facebook page. Sorry if it's been posted & considered redundant. Chicago Bulls Nate Robinson Status Update:

- As of today, there hasn't been any reports that any team is willing to offer more than the minimum. In fact, the only team that has reportedly offered a contract is the Chicago Bulls (minimum deal) according to Alex Kennedy. Now that isn't to say he hasn't been offered more than the minimum, but it hasn't been made publically that they have.

- The Bulls aren't going to wait for Nate Robinson. If another "steal" free agent is willing to sign for the minimum, they'll pull the offer from Nate Robinson and sign that other free agent.

- Nate Robinson is holding out hope that some team with remaining room will offer a multi year contract which is still possible but as each day passes, it's looking more likely that the best he'll get is the minimum.

- Beatwriter Jabari Davis believes that Nate Robinson will wait but will eventually re-sign with the Bulls in the upcoming weeks.

- A report yesterday indicated that Nate Robinson is in a bit of need of money. Each player in the NBA is allowed roughly $100 in money to spend on meals (Believe this was per meal, not everyday). The report indicated that Nate typically tends to wait and put his food on other players bills keeping the money for himself.

Either way, it's still slim Nate Robinson returns but with so much competition at Point Guard on the Free Agent Market, there is still a small chance he could return to the Chicago Bulls at the minimum.

sounds like there is still a chance. I don't know who would be the "steal" free agent the Bulls could get over him. I hope he returns.

[Ben]

Two names that have been thrown around as Nate replacements, R. Foye and W. Bynum, are going elsewhere.

Now that we know we have few options left for a scorer off the bench and Nate isn't drawing much interest how much more likely are we to retain him?

It will probably depend on just one thing: whether one other team is willing to give Nate more money than the vet minimum plus 20%. We can't offer him any more, so it would seem to be more or less out of our hands. It's not about whether our potential Nate replacements are drying up; we can't sweeten our offer. We can only wait.