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

[dasox24]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines

Smith Bullish on whole deal
Easy-going forward excited to be part of team on the rise

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

July 14, 2007, 11:19 PM CDT

Other than one season playing alongside Ben Wallace with the Pistons, Joe Smith's only association with anyone with the Bulls is a July 5 meeting with general manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles.

"That's OK, because I'm not a hard guy to get along with," Smith said Saturday in a phone interview. "I have a laid-back personality. I like to joke around. But when the ball goes up, I like to come in and take care of business. I want to win."

Click here to find out more!
That shared desire is why Paxson and Skiles are happy and why Smith is beaming for reasons beyond the two-year, $10 million deal he will sign Tuesday, barring an unexpected blip with his physical.

The Bulls, somewhat unexpectedly, snagged their No. 1 target in free agency and added a reliable veteran to a suddenly loaded frontcourt.

"I feel Joe understands we're trying to win right now, and he can help us do that," Paxson said.

Indeed, this appeal is why Smith left a comfortable situation with the 76ers after earning high marks with that organization for his leadership and skills. Acquired in the Allen Iverson trade, Smith, who played collegiately at Maryland, averaged 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.

"It was a tough decision because I had a good time with Philly and played with guys who played hard every night," Smith said. "But I thought Chicago was an attractive situation because of how hard they play, how they help each other on defense and how they play with energy every night.

"The simple fact is it's a team I feel is going in the right direction. And it's a team I feel I can help achieve certain goals."

Smith confirmed his time with Paxson and Skiles at the Berto Center played a large role in his decision."I like their philosophy," Smith said. "They told me where they thought I could help with leadership and on the floor. I was pretty excited about it at the end of the meeting. And I felt they were excited as well.

"We didn't even talk about me starting or coming off the bench. I know there's going to be competition. That's something that will make us a better team, having depth at my position. But whether I'm starting or coming off the bench, I can contribute either way."

Smith, 31, is known as a classy veteran who, similar to P.J. Brown, accepts his role. A 12-year veteran, he's a solid insurance policy as the Bulls gauge rookie Joakim Noah's readiness and attempt to increase second-year forward Tyrus Thomas' role.

"We needed another big who could shoot if we couldn't get a legitimate post player," Paxson said. "We run a lot of screen-and-roll offense, so his ability to shoot is important for us.

"We didn't want to put all the pressure on Tyrus and Joakim without some veteran support. Joe is professional in every sense of the word. It's an excellent fit."

Now Paxson can turn his attention to negotiating contract extensions for Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, though neither contract has to be extended this summer because the Bulls own their rights through the 2008-09 season.

Paxson was adamant that Smith's contract doesn't affect the master plan.

"If people believe we are vulnerable in dealing with Luol and Ben, they are mistaken," Paxson said. "We've known for a long time we would be dealing with our young players growing into their next contract. But we won't lose them."

[orlando_woolridg...]

I don't really know what all the contracts are and such, but why not try and keep PJ Brown too if the money was right and he wanted to stay. Seems like Brown and Smith would be just fine with this team.

[madisonsmadhouse]

We can re-sign PJ Brown with no problems or cap issues if PJ does want to play another year. He could also theoretically be dealt in a sign and trade deal for a team looking to dump payroll for expiring contracts.

[RME JICO]

Great signing. Was actually surprised by the comments that Smith was their No. 1 target this offseason though.

[chilord]

Hear me now and believe me later--

This signing is the final nail in the coffin, if you will, and the East is in for some clubberin' come November through April. Consider the frontcourt matchup problems DONE.

Barring injury, I fully expect the Bulls to take the East this year.

Great signing, good draft, plus an already solid (and now even more playoff tested team) =

[Balta1701-B]

This signing is the final nail in the coffin, if you will, and the East is in for some clubberin' come November through April. Consider the frontcourt matchup problems DONE.

If this team doesn't at least make the Conf. Finals, then it's time to start looking at the coaching staff (unless we're badly hit by the injury bug).

[madisonsmadhouse]

It sure gives us a much better match up against Detroit, that is for sure. They don't have the opportunity to just attack Gordon, and take away our offense, because now we can go down low for scoring. It also gives us another body to worry about guys like Gooden and Ilgauskus, so the guards can cheat more on LeBron against Cleveland. If you look at it, the top of the Eastern confrence isn't too bad. Its the bottom that is rough. It will also be interesting to see how Orlando emerges, as they could also be a top of the confrence team in a weak division.