<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Q. A figure of $57.5 million was leaked by team sources as their final offer in your contract talks. Was that the Bulls' final offer? And do you regret rejecting it? A. No. We talked about $50 million, that was the talk. I'm happy with my decision, no matter what happens. Now it is my challenge to go out there and prove I am worth what I want. If I'm not worth that, there is no shame in that. If someone thinks I'm worth it, then they will pay it.</div></p> Anyone close to Bulls HQ notice someone's pants on fire?</p>
How can Deng not get down at the org when he knows they are leaking bad information to the press to make him look bad.</p> That and the fans booing and chanting "Kobe!"... no wonder he's in the dumps.</p>
Do we even know who supposedly "leaked" the info? Could have been something made up by someone not even associated with the org. for all we know</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fred)</div><div class='quotemain'>Do we even know who supposedly "leaked" the info? Could have been something made up by someone not even associated with the org. for all we know</div></p> Well, KC Johnson reported pretty definitively that the Bulls offered $57.5M, and KC is generally on good terms with the Bulls org and doesn't seem likely to publish BS. So one of several things happened:</p> 1. Someone that KC trusts gave him BS, and it was somehow confirmed by someone else. This seems likely to have only come from the Bulls, since obviously Deng's not under the impression he got more than a $50M offer.</p> 2. Deng is lying point blank. Again, seems pretty unlikely given who Deng is. Even if it weren't true, why persist this long with it.?</p> 3. Deng's agent didn't give him any word of the offer. I seriously doubt that's the case because we know Paxson requested and got a "no agent present" meeting with Deng. And because that would be both a severe ethical violation and grounds for immediate dismissal and a lawsuit by Deng.</p> 4. The Bulls attempted to make an offer but were somehow incompetent at doing so.</p> 5. The Bulls are just spreading shit to make it appear they didn't lowball Deng.</p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">I know what number I'm voting on and it rhymes with "jive."</p>
I see two possibilities: they sign him or he ends up elsewhere (via S&T, trade, or FA).</p> It's premature to say anything about this, IMO. He's still on the team and still a starter.</p> The more interesting question is how he hurt his back.</p>
