Slam Dunk Central

The Chicago Bulls obviously are in no rush to sign two important cogs of their offense, swingman Luol Deng and guard Ben Gordon.  According to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, neither player agreed to terms ona contract extension before Wednesday’s deadline, which in essence will make them restricted free agents this summer.

That status allows the Bulls to match any offers from the other NBA teams; talks are allowed to resume on July 1, 2008.  Gordon told the Daily Herald before Wednesday’s game against the New York Nets, “There was never really a negotiation.  It was kind of like ‘take it or leave it.’  I didn’t sign, so I guess it’s safe to say I never considered it. Hopefully something will get done next time.”  Deng added, “I wish it would have gotten done.  But it didn’t, so you’ve just got to play and hope for the best.  I’m a little disappointed, but you’ve got to understand the business part of it.  It’s not one side, it’s really both sides.  We both couldn’t come to terms.”

The Bulls were reportedly offering deals around the 5-year, $50 million dollar range; however, Gordon is seeking something closer to the 4-year league maximum ($13.9 million/season) while Deng was looking at just above $12 million per year.  Both players are of the hope that they will improve to the point of receiving a higher salary by next summer. 

That’s a good approach, but risky because both players are going into the unknown - meaning the risk of injury, the team’s win-loss record after this season is over and of course, the negotiations in July 2008.  Those things aside, it is imperative that the Bulls get deals in place for both as they are the nucleus (in my opinion) of the club and it isn’t like there’s better options out there for them (although there is this Kobe Bryant to the Bulls rumor floating around).

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