Shortly after Cleveland was eliminated by Boston in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, LeBron James placed a call to Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
What did they talk about?
Word is, James said he likes Rose's game, likes his team and would welcome the chance to play together.
Before putting LeBron's No. 6 Bulls jersey up for sale, keep in mind that it's possible James made similar calls to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Maybe even Nets center Brook Lopez. But it has been made clear through various channels that James is very interested in joining the Bulls when he becomes a free agent on July 1.
New York, New Jersey and Miami figure to be James' top options, along with re-signing in Cleveland. Staying with the Cavaliers is starting to seem less likely after the early playoff exit exposed flaws in the team's winning formula.
The James phone call to Rose was mentioned by ESPN reporter Scoop Jackson and confirmed by a league source. Rose has been taking things slowly since the Bulls season ended with a first-round loss to Cleveland, but he visits the Berto Center on occasion. The source said the James-Rose conversation did not last very long.
The Bulls will have roughly $20 million in cap room this summer, enough to sign the two-time MVP outright. They're often mentioned as James' best chance to win right away, since he could step into a lineup with Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng.
James will have other attractive options. New York has enough cap room to pair him with another big-time free agent such as Bosh. Miami could offer a unique pairing with all-star Dwyane Wade.
New Jersey probably can't be counted out, either, despite posting the league's worst record last season. The Nets have some good young players and money to spend now that Russian kazillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov owns the team. Plus, one of the Nets co-owners is James' good buddy Jay-Z and the team is supposed to relocate to Brooklyn in two years.
In the meantime, the Bulls' coaching search has slowed down as the team contemplates whether a big-name coach would give them a better chance of landing James.
The biggest prize in coaching is obviously Phil Jackson, whose contract with the Lakers is about to expire. He also figures to stay busy through the end of the NBA Finals.
There is no evidence the Bulls have any interest in Kentucky coach John Calipari or that playing for Calipari would even appeal to James. If the Bulls can't bring back Jackson for a second stint on the bench, former Portland and Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks appears to have the best chance at the job.
"In the first 24 hours after the Celtics eliminated the Cavaliers on Thursday, the Bulls sold more than 500 new full season tickets and a team official estimated incoming call volume to their sales office stood roughly 50 times normal levels.
The question now is whether the allure of LeBron James will have a similar effect on Bulls management.
League sources said Sunday that noted NBA power broker William Wesley continues to work back channels to sell John Calipari and James as a package deal to franchises such as the Bulls, Nets and Clippers with coaching vacancies and salary cap room.
Another league source confirmed that an unknown Calipari connection contacted Bulls management over the weekend. This not only once again renders the coach's vows to remain at Kentucky hollow, it underscores the juggling act general manager Gar Forman and senior vice president John Paxson must navigate as they tackle a coaching search while planning for free agency, which begins July 1.
Forman addressed this dynamic at the news conference announcing Vinny Del Negro's dismissal on May 4. And while initially it appeared the Bulls' coach search might pick up steam — and perhaps conclude — when the NBA world descends upon Chicago for this week's predraft camp, James' possible departure from Cleveland should prolong it."
James' uncertain future also introduces an internal debate on whether the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player is even the best fit with Derrick Rose. While James unquestionably is the game's most dominant player, he dominated the ball on the court and input on organizational decisions off it in Cleveland.
As his relationship with Wesley attests, James also brings with him a small army of friends and advisers to whichever franchise for which he plays. James repeatedly referred to this group — which also includes respected agent Leon Rose and business manager Maverick Carter — as "my team" when discussing his free agent plans in the aftermath of the loss to the Celtics.
Signing James and hiring Calipari would seemingly cede more organizational control than the Bulls historically are known to do. But that's what Wesley, who is becoming a certified agent for coaches with the same firm Leon Rose started, is trying to accomplish with various teams.
Add in the fact a strong buzz continues to circulate that All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson is strongly open to signing with the Bulls and that his agent, Arn Tellem, enjoys a close relationship with Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and the intrigue becomes greater.
There's no guarantee James will sign with the Bulls, obviously, no matter what rumors pop up between now and then. No matter what machinations his advisers try to orchestrate, it's James' call in the end.
But the question — as crazy as it sounds — that Bulls management has to ask itself is if it already has its alpha male superstar to build around in All-Star Rose.
Would the Bulls be better off adding a space-the-floor shooter in Johnson — whose only drama would be a poor performance in the Hawks' Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Magic — and perhaps having enough money left to sign another piece?
These are questions for a higher pay grade. But the drama between now and whenever the Bulls hire a coach and enter free agency will remain intriguing.
What did they talk about?
Word is, James said he likes Rose's game, likes his team and would welcome the chance to play together.
Before putting LeBron's No. 6 Bulls jersey up for sale, keep in mind that it's possible James made similar calls to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Maybe even Nets center Brook Lopez. But it has been made clear through various channels that James is very interested in joining the Bulls when he becomes a free agent on July 1.
New York, New Jersey and Miami figure to be James' top options, along with re-signing in Cleveland. Staying with the Cavaliers is starting to seem less likely after the early playoff exit exposed flaws in the team's winning formula.
The James phone call to Rose was mentioned by ESPN reporter Scoop Jackson and confirmed by a league source. Rose has been taking things slowly since the Bulls season ended with a first-round loss to Cleveland, but he visits the Berto Center on occasion. The source said the James-Rose conversation did not last very long.
The Bulls will have roughly $20 million in cap room this summer, enough to sign the two-time MVP outright. They're often mentioned as James' best chance to win right away, since he could step into a lineup with Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng.
James will have other attractive options. New York has enough cap room to pair him with another big-time free agent such as Bosh. Miami could offer a unique pairing with all-star Dwyane Wade.
New Jersey probably can't be counted out, either, despite posting the league's worst record last season. The Nets have some good young players and money to spend now that Russian kazillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov owns the team. Plus, one of the Nets co-owners is James' good buddy Jay-Z and the team is supposed to relocate to Brooklyn in two years.
In the meantime, the Bulls' coaching search has slowed down as the team contemplates whether a big-name coach would give them a better chance of landing James.
The biggest prize in coaching is obviously Phil Jackson, whose contract with the Lakers is about to expire. He also figures to stay busy through the end of the NBA Finals.
There is no evidence the Bulls have any interest in Kentucky coach John Calipari or that playing for Calipari would even appeal to James. If the Bulls can't bring back Jackson for a second stint on the bench, former Portland and Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks appears to have the best chance at the job.
"In the first 24 hours after the Celtics eliminated the Cavaliers on Thursday, the Bulls sold more than 500 new full season tickets and a team official estimated incoming call volume to their sales office stood roughly 50 times normal levels.
The question now is whether the allure of LeBron James will have a similar effect on Bulls management.
League sources said Sunday that noted NBA power broker William Wesley continues to work back channels to sell John Calipari and James as a package deal to franchises such as the Bulls, Nets and Clippers with coaching vacancies and salary cap room.
Another league source confirmed that an unknown Calipari connection contacted Bulls management over the weekend. This not only once again renders the coach's vows to remain at Kentucky hollow, it underscores the juggling act general manager Gar Forman and senior vice president John Paxson must navigate as they tackle a coaching search while planning for free agency, which begins July 1.
Forman addressed this dynamic at the news conference announcing Vinny Del Negro's dismissal on May 4. And while initially it appeared the Bulls' coach search might pick up steam — and perhaps conclude — when the NBA world descends upon Chicago for this week's predraft camp, James' possible departure from Cleveland should prolong it."
James' uncertain future also introduces an internal debate on whether the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player is even the best fit with Derrick Rose. While James unquestionably is the game's most dominant player, he dominated the ball on the court and input on organizational decisions off it in Cleveland.
As his relationship with Wesley attests, James also brings with him a small army of friends and advisers to whichever franchise for which he plays. James repeatedly referred to this group — which also includes respected agent Leon Rose and business manager Maverick Carter — as "my team" when discussing his free agent plans in the aftermath of the loss to the Celtics.
Signing James and hiring Calipari would seemingly cede more organizational control than the Bulls historically are known to do. But that's what Wesley, who is becoming a certified agent for coaches with the same firm Leon Rose started, is trying to accomplish with various teams.
Add in the fact a strong buzz continues to circulate that All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson is strongly open to signing with the Bulls and that his agent, Arn Tellem, enjoys a close relationship with Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and the intrigue becomes greater.
There's no guarantee James will sign with the Bulls, obviously, no matter what rumors pop up between now and then. No matter what machinations his advisers try to orchestrate, it's James' call in the end.
But the question — as crazy as it sounds — that Bulls management has to ask itself is if it already has its alpha male superstar to build around in All-Star Rose.
Would the Bulls be better off adding a space-the-floor shooter in Johnson — whose only drama would be a poor performance in the Hawks' Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Magic — and perhaps having enough money left to sign another piece?
These are questions for a higher pay grade. But the drama between now and whenever the Bulls hire a coach and enter free agency will remain intriguing.