Joe Smith Agrees to Contract with Bulls, 2-year deal Options

[dasox24]

Well, good. Besides Darko, Smith was the guy I wanted, so I'm glad this got done. Plus, a 2-year deal helps keep cap space open in a few years when LeBron and co. have a chance to hit the open FA market.

Smith OKs 2-year deal with Bulls

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

July 13, 2007, 11:07 PM CDT

The Bulls got their man.

League sources confirmed the Bulls reached agreement on a two-year contract with Joe Smith late Friday, the veteran forward who had been their No. 1 target in free agency.


Financial terms weren't available, but the Bulls had the midlevel salary-cap exception of $5.36 million at their disposal.

As recently as Thursday, general manager John Paxson had expressed pessimism the Bulls would land any of the veteran big men they had been targeting. Those included the Nets' Mikki Moore and the Lakers' Chris Mihm.

Smith is slotted to take the place of P.J. Brown to start alongside Ben Wallace and Luol Deng in a frontcourt that suddenly is loaded with reserves Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah.

Smith averaged 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 65 games with the Nuggets and 76ers last season. 76ers general manager Billy King had called re-signing Smith an off-season priority.

But the Bulls wooed Smith with a possible starting role and a serious approach that stressed the opportunity to play a prominent role in a winnable Eastern Conference next season. A face-to-face meeting at the Berto Center with Paxson and coach Scott Skiles that took place earlier this month was said to have made a strong impression.

Smith, a former No. 1 overall pick of the Warriors, has averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds in 12 NBA seasons with six teams.

He is a 45.4 percent career shooter and still is considered a strong midrange shooter and classy veteran who should fit seamlessly into the Bulls' system.

[SoxFan1]

I was just about to post this too. Nice signing, he'll fill in nicely for PJ. Younger, bit more athletic, but still a veteran. Would have liked Darko as well, but this isn't bad. There will probably be some who won't be too happy with the signing though, thinking this might hamper with Tyrus' playing time/development.

Bulls, Smith have deal
Veteran forward leaves 76ers for two-year pact with contender

July 13, 2007
BY BRIAN HANLEY bhanley@suntimes.com
The Bulls agreed to a two-year contract with free-agent forward Joe Smith, the Sun-Times has learned.

Smith was thought to be the Bulls' No. 1 priority among the available free agents.

Smith, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1995 draft, averaged 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 54 games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers. While the 76ers could have offered Smith more money, the Bulls likely sold him on the fact that they are a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls hosted Smith, a 6-10, 225-pounder, at the Berto Center on July 5.

Though terms of the deal were not known, the Bulls had the NBA's mid-level exception of $5.36 million as a maximum to offer Smith this season.

The Bulls had also considered free agents Mikki Moore of the New Jersey Nets and Chris Mihm of the Los Angeles Lakers, both of whom also visited the Berto Center the first week of July.

Smith's signing likely would mean forward P.J. Brown won't return.

[dasox24]

I was just about to post this too.

Haha, I could tell when like 6 seconds after I posted this, I refreshed the page and the title was changed a little, lol.

In regards to PJ, I know he's rumored to sign elsewhere if he doesn't retire, but do y'all think there's any chance he'd come back for the bi-annual veteran's exception ($1.8 mil) to play for a championship contender? I doubt he'd want to b/c he wouldn't get much playing time at all. But it wouldn't be a bad way to go out by only having to play ~8 minutes/night while getting payed to basically just be around as insurance in case another big man gets injured.

[SoxFan1]

Haha, I could tell when like 6 seconds after I posted this, I refreshed the page and the title was changed a little, lol.

In regards to PJ, I know he's rumored to sign elsewhere if he doesn't retire, but do y'all think there's any chance he'd come back for the bi-annual veteran's exception ($1.8 mil) to play for a championship contender? I doubt he'd want to b/c he wouldn't get much playing time at all. But it wouldn't be a bad way to go out by only having to play ~8 minutes/night while getting payed to basically just be around as insurance in case another big man gets injured.

I don't think it's in him unless he had a bit of a bigger role. But then again, you never know how much he really wants to win and his love for the game.

[dasox24]

There will probably be some who won't be too happy with the signing though, thinking this might hamper with Tyrus' playing time/development.

Yeah, it might take away from Tyrus' playing time, but I don't think anyone should be unhappy about this signing. He's not gonna play 35 mpg and basically leave Tyrus with nothing. Even if he starts, he'll probably only get like 20 minutes/night, while Wallace will get what? 32-35ish? That would leave ~ 35-40 minutes/game for Tyrus and Noah (I guess some Noc too) to split, with TT getting ~20-25, Noah ~10-15, and Noc ~10-15 (keep in mind Noc will get about 10 mpg at SF too). That's enough playing time for a 2nd year guy who's only 21. And, the best part is that if he does play well enough to get more minutes, Skiles won't be afraid to give them to him.

[SoxFan1]

Yeah, it might take away from Tyrus' playing time, but I don't think anyone should be unhappy about this signing. He's not gonna play 35 mpg and basically leave Tyrus with nothing. Even if he starts, he'll probably only get like 20 minutes/night, while Wallace will get what? 32-35ish? That would leave ~ 35-40 minutes/game for Tyrus and Noah (I guess some Noc too) to split, with TT getting ~20-25, Noah ~10-15, and Noc ~10-15 (keep in mind Noc will get about 10 mpg at SF too). That's enough playing time for a 2nd year guy who's only 21. And, the best part is that if he does play well enough to get more minutes, Skiles won't be afraid to give them to him.

I agree with you, I just hope everyone else does as well. I'm a fan of the signing so far.

[Steve9347]

good signing for the bulls, i guesss... smith has some talent

[eddog2]

I knew that Joe Smith was who we were going to sign.

I like Smith as a player. I just hope he stays professional and him and Wallace provide great veteran leadership next year. This team is going to have a great mix of veterans and young players. I think we are going to be very special next year.

[GreatScott82]

THis was a good signing... we needed someone to take P.J.'s place. It will also leave available minutes for Noah, Tyrus and Noc. The way i see it is Sweetney, Allen and Brown will all be leaving via free agency and Smith, Noah and Gray will replace them. IMO thats a big upgrade.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

Great signing. Smith is PJ Brown esque but alot more agile and more athletic. He can hit the mid range J and rebound as well. Im all for this signing and it sounds like he may be the starter at the 4 spot. Hopefully he and Tyrus can compete for it and may the best man win.

[Wanne]

THis was a good signing... we needed someone to take P.J.'s place. It will also leave available minutes for Noah, Tyrus and Noc. The way i see it is Sweetney, Allen and Brown will all be leaving via free agency and Smith, Noah and Gray will replace them. IMO thats a big upgrade.

I'm not counting out Jackson Vroman.

[Chisoxfn]

This is a good signing by Chicago. Smith is a veteran so he can fill in for Brown in that sense, but he also has a lot more left in his tank and is just a much better player than PJ. I assume the Bulls are no longer going to go after Brown, but they still have the veteran exception left so they could use that on PJ or a veteran point guard somewhere (if they opt to move Duhon).

I really look forward to the start of the season. We'll get to see if Deng can become an All Star this year with Gordon continuing to improve on being a much better all around player (and a more consistent scorer) while we will also get to see Noah for the first time as well as the progress that Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas make (all three are probably the last three talented young players the Bulls will have for some time).

[Balta1701-B]

I think this is a superb signing, one that potentially caps off a superb offseason and may be the last step towards vaulting the Bulls to 55+ wins and a shot at the finals. Not on its merits alone, but it really is the last, necessary piece to putting an excellent team on the floor.

Take a look at our lineups the last 2 years, specifically in the front court, and let's compare.

05-06: Chandler, Sweetney, Allen, Harrington, Songaila, Schenscher.
06-07: Wallace, Brown, Sweetney, Allen, Thomas
07-08: Wallace, Thomas, Noah, Smith, Gray.

We've gone from having Tyson Chandler be our #1 guy in the front court to maybe having him be the #3 guy in the front court (Noah). We've added at the top and added at the bottom. The guys off the bench are much more reliable. We have both youth and experience. We have 3 top-of-the-first-round picks in there, and a guy with a ton of DPOY awards.

The Bulls have gone from being a guard-carried team in 05 to being a very well rounded team in 07. And if we get a little bit more improvement from Deng, a good improvement from Gordon, and the expected improvent from Thomas...we are now in excellent shape to take this conference.

[Sanitarium]

I am loving his 6.2 rebounds a game. We need that.

[DutheDoduhon21]

i like the smith signing alot, our think our front court got alot better this offseason, especialy with tyrus develpoing, and noah be added, even gray can help. with all thoose young guys i think smith was perfect to add.