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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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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."

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.