| | Associated Press
CHICAGO -- Ron Mercer didn't get the high-profile VIP treatment afforded Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones when they came to town to visit the Chicago Bulls. He wasn't considered one of the
marquee free agents the team coveted in its overhaul.
|  | | Ron Mercer now has a team to give his scoring prowess to. |
But while McGrady, Jones and Grant Hill are headed elsewhere and Tim Duncan is staying in San Antonio, Mercer is joining the rebuilding Bulls. He agreed to a contract Tuesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although the Chicago Tribune reported in its Wednesday editions that the deal is for $27 million over four years.
The 6-foot-7 Mercer will be with his fourth NBA team in four
seasons. He played his first two years with the Boston Celtics, was
traded to Denver and then dealt to Orlando last season, when he
averaged 16.9 points.
The Bulls also met Tuesday with free agent center Brad Miller.
But the big-name players they hoped to lure apparently got away.
They wined and dined both McGrady and Jones, greeting them at the
airport with music and dancers, taking them on a yacht ride and to
baseball games where they threw out the ceremonial first pitches.
Jones was on his way to Miami on Tuesday after a trade from the
Charlotte Hornets. Hill and McGrady were expected to sign with
Orlando. And Duncan and Tim Thomas, who weighed a lucrative offer
from Chicago, said they would stay put in San Antonio and
Milwaukee, respectively.
That left general manager Jerry Krause and the Bulls with none
of the big names they had hoped to lure with nearly $20 million
available under the salary cap. Terms of Mercer's deal were not
immediately available.
|
Bulls' lineup
|
|
PG
|
Jamal Crawford
|
|
SG
|
Ron Mercer
|
|
SF
|
Ron Artest
|
|
PF
|
Marcus Fizer
|
|
C
|
Elton Brand
|
Mercer, 24, who helped Kentucky reach the Final Four
in each of his two college seasons, will join the Bulls' young core
of players led by co-Rookie of the Year Elton Brand. In 189 NBA
games, Mercer has averaged 16.2 points. He made the NBA All-Rookie
team in 1998, averaging 15.3 points for Boston. In his second
season, he averaged 17 points.
The Bulls have a long road back. In the two seasons since they
won their sixth NBA title, the Bulls have played 132 games and won
just 30.
Krause wasn't available for comment Tuesday. Earlier, he said: "I don't worry about the naysayers. I know what we've done. I know what our purpose is. We're very confident we'll continue that (winning tradition)."
Meanwhile, ESPN's David Aldridge reports that guard Randy Brown became the final
Bulls player from the championship teams to leave the squad, agreeing with
the Celtics on a three-year, $7.5 million deal.
| |
ALSO SEE
Denberg: Blame the players, not the Bulls
Denberg on the Bulls: User comments
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ron Mercer will be a good addition to the Bulls, according to Magic Senior VP Pat Williams.
wav: 330 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
