Tribune: Bulls Prepared to pay to keep JFB

[WI inferiority Complexes]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-jimmy-butler-bulls-haugh-spt-0108-20150107-column.html

Just realized you need a fancy subscription.  From the article:

No player means any more to his team at both ends of the floor than Butler does to the Bulls, who stand ready to show how much they believe that. Internally, the Bulls are planning to take a proactive approach to contract negotiations with Butler next July and secure the shooting guard for a long-term spot alongside Derrick Rose.

They began preparing for that inevitability one year ago this week when they reset the clock on the NBA's repeater tax - which penalizes teams that pay the luxury tax three of four seasons - by trading Luol Deng to the Cavaliers. They fully expect to sign Butler to a max deal next July before another team even gets involved to tempt him with an offer sheet, which the CBA says they can after the moratorium ends. They accept that the size of Butler's contract will put the Bulls in position to pay the luxury tax, something Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf says he will do for a championship contender his team is.

[LloydsLegs]

Don't let the Bulls fool you...they didn't intentionally begin preparing for this version of why they will be in luxury tax territory.  They could have had Jimmy at below max contract before the season started.  Bulls blew it (though that is a bit harsh, because as much as some of us have been JFB's biggest supporters and believers, I don't think anyone - maybe not even Henry Sugar - saw Max Jimmy on the way).  Now they have to pay. 

[reinko]

[🏀]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/RwEIjbfOHD0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/RwEIjbfOHD0</a>

[Groin_pull]

Dude gonna get paid.

[MUDPT]

Don't let the Bulls fool you...they didn't intentionally begin preparing for this version of why they will be in luxury tax territory.  They could have had Jimmy at below max contract before the season started.  Bulls blew it (though that is a bit harsh, because as much as some of us have been JFB's biggest supporters and believers, I don't think anyone - maybe not even Henry Sugar - saw Max Jimmy on the way).  Now they have to pay. 

Exactly.  They are shedding some salary, probably Taj.

[MerrittsMustache]

Don't let the Bulls fool you...they didn't intentionally begin preparing for this version of why they will be in luxury tax territory.  They could have had Jimmy at below max contract before the season started.  Bulls blew it (though that is a bit harsh, because as much as some of us have been JFB's biggest supporters and believers, I don't think anyone - maybe not even Henry Sugar - saw Max Jimmy on the way).  Now they have to pay. 

Jimmy turned down a 4-year/$44M deal prior to the season.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Exactly.  They are shedding some salary, probably Taj.

Yea, I never liked Taj and with Mirotic adjusting to the NBA quickly Taj is kinda useless and will also already be 30 next season.

[Stronghold]

Jimmy turned down a 4-year/$44M deal prior to the season.

Just ask Latrell, you can't feed your family on that.

[MU82]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-jimmy-butler-bulls-haugh-spt-0108-20150107-column.html

Just realized you need a fancy subscription.  From the article:

No player means any more to his team at both ends of the floor than Butler does to the Bulls, who stand ready to show how much they believe that. Internally, the Bulls are planning to take a proactive approach to contract negotiations with Butler next July and secure the shooting guard for a long-term spot alongside Derrick Rose.

They began preparing for that inevitability one year ago this week when they reset the clock on the NBA's repeater tax - which penalizes teams that pay the luxury tax three of four seasons - by trading Luol Deng to the Cavaliers. They fully expect to sign Butler to a max deal next July before another team even gets involved to tempt him with an offer sheet, which the CBA says they can after the moratorium ends. They accept that the size of Butler's contract will put the Bulls in position to pay the luxury tax, something Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf says he will do for a championship contender his team is.

If only Reinsdorf had been willing to pay up in the late-90s, they would have won (or seriously contended for) at least 3-4 more titles. He didn't want to pay Pippen, Kerr and several others, he let Crumbs talk him out of keeping Jackson and he even voiced his reluctance to keep Jordan.

I guess he has learned that once you have a team capable of being a champion, you had better hold onto it because it doesn't happen that often!

[Benny B]

Just ask Latrell, you can't feed your family on that.

Much less keep your boat afloat.

[swoopem]

Just ask Latrell, you can't feed your family on that.

My brother who's a Junior at MU says that he sees Latrell at dollar bomb night at Mikey's on Wednesdays. The guy has sunk so low he's going where the good bar deals are. 

[tower912]

They had their chance.   They gambled, JFB won, and now they are going to show him the money. 

[4everwarriors]

Jimmy turned down a 4-year/$44M deal prior to the season.

Smart cat. That's got Sanders' juice all over it and ya don't wanna go there, hey?