Kirk Hinrich has verbally agreed to sign with Bulls. Terms not yet finalized. https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/221965189883506691
Hollinger says this is our taxpayer money so he speculates this means we may keep Korver and resign Asik https://twitter.com/johnhollinger/status/221973622519119873
Korver's contract remains unguaranteed until some point in January, that is, they can keep him, see how things are going, and if they don't like the looks of things, waive Korver to save the money. If they can't use him in a trade this offseason, I don't see why they wouldn't have him on the opening day roster.
Bulls fans have gotten their knickers in a twist this offseason over the big names that have passed us by, but signing Kirk to a reasonable deal and keeping Korver and Asik isn't the worst of offseasons. It'll mean that in a functional sense our team will be largely the same when Rose returns. I've always felt CJ and Ronnie were the most replaceable parts of the bench mob, and Jimmy Butler and Kirk should carry the torch well enough. Surprisingly, I find Kirk to be the biggest question mark on our roster. Has his demise been due to loss of motivation? Injury? A bad off court lifestyle? Possibly some combination of all three? The only thing I know is that he was Mr. Grit until he signed a big contract and then put on weight and never went back to his previous skill level. Hell, I think he still has that extra weight on him even though it's never done him any damn good. Anyone else find it ironic that Kirk poses the biggest threat to our teams jib?
^^ Good call, Rosenthall. I think a lot of people are quite sure what we'll be getting from the Captain...and I agree that it's a holding pattern move -- with an indication that CJ's feet are NOT good. But Kirk could in fact be very bad for us if he has some nostalgia for being the "guy". Or he could be very good for us in that this is THE system he's been made to play in. Maybe he and Boozer will really hit it off? I am (surprisingly) hopeful for the best.
I suppose the issue may not be CJ's feet, but just a lack of comfort in having him be the starter for the first half of the season. But yeah, Kirk may not be ready for that either. I haven't followed him at all post bulls. Now, keep Asik, Korver and sign Gerald Green, and we'll wait quietly for Rose to come back.
Kirk's passion for the game seemed to fade at around the time he bought his Maserati. Its a shame but Hinrich is only useful when he has some fire in the belly and he lost that long ago. Sad but true.
S/o to my bro Kirk Hinrich..I know how much he loves Chicago! https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/221992091683794944
https://twitter.com/McGrawDHBulls/status/221993743513948163 https://twitter.com/McGrawDHBulls/status/221995300334735361 https://twitter.com/McGrawDHBulls/status/221994984818225154 https://twitter.com/McGrawDHBulls/status/221997679998283776
When the Bulls traded Hinrich, I wasn't at all unhappy, not because I didn't think Hinrich was a good player, but because I believe he's a much better PG than he is a SG...and the Bulls had Rose. Hinrich was traded to the Wizards who had just drafted Wall. He played 1/3 PG and 2/3 SG. Then he got traded to the Hawks, started at the point and played some decent ball. Then Jeff Teague emerged (we got to see that up close and personal in the 2011 playoffs) and Hinrich was back to getting 2/3 of his minutes at SG this past season. He also had some injury problems. GarPax obviously think Hinrich can still play and Thibodeau has expressed his admiration in the past. I would have preferred keeping Watson one more season (assuming his feet are OK). Let's hope that the Bulls' brain trust has Hinrich pegged right.
Ah Kirk. You're back. At least now its the 2 year, 6 mil deal you are worth. Its kind of fun from a nostalgia standpoint in what is likely a lost season. I guess the Bulls org always reverts back to "Kirk Mode" when its in non contention time. Could be an OK combo guard to have on the roster when its time to contend again once DRose is back. If he can stay healthy, he can help keep this ship afloat for the first half of next season. Man, how the once (kind of) mighty have fallen.
K4E, I was wondering if I'd see you on the forum, post news about KH Well, at least Jamal is happy for him And, I agree with your assessment. Nice to be on the same page with you, literally and figuratively
I heard that Kirk was happy with JAMAL'S 4 years 21 mil deal and that he gets to play with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Maybe another 6th man of the year award for JAMAL?
You forgot about our guy Vinny! Hey we're all happy for JAMAL! But playing with Rose, Boozer, Deng, RIP, and Noah won't be too bad, I would think. Plus, Kirk already knows that Thibodeau loves him, and he loves Thibodeau. It has the potential for being an "all good" scenario.
