Forman: McDermott 'A Fit With This Team In The Long Term'
By Cody Westerlund-
(CBS) News broke Wednesday that the Bulls have renewed their push for All-Star power forward Kevin Love by making a new offer to the Timberwolves. While media outlets varied on the exact pieces of the deal, Chris Sheridan of Sheridanhoops.com reported that Chicago had offered forwards Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott.
To see Gibson's name in trade rumors was of little surprise, but the speculation surrounding Mirotic and McDermott was a new twist. Both are rookies who just recently signed with Chicago, and it's been reported by the Chicago Tribune that Mirotic's representatives sought assurances that he was in the Bulls' long-term picture before he worked out his buyout with Real Madrid.
As for McDermott, Bulls general manager Gar Forman spoke as if he's in the big picture during an interview on the Mully and Hanley Show on Thursday morning.
"It's not just his ability to shoot it, but he knows how to play the game," Forman said. "He's got more to his game. He can go inside. He can shoot it on the move. He can create his own shot. He's got a real high basketball IQ. There will be an adjustment period for him, but we think he's going to be a fit with this team in the long term."
Forman didn't directly address any of the Love trade rumors, as talking about such movement of a player on another team can be considered tampering by the NBA. He still left the door open in speaking generally, though.
"Where we're at today, we feel good about our roster," Forman said. "We feel good about the additions. Obviously, this league has turned into a 12-month league. And it's our job -- me and John (Paxson), and Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf -- to always be having conversations and just having a feel of what's going on around the league and the marketplace. If we feel there's opportunity, we'll always explore it.
"The one thing we can't control is the noise outside. And obviously in this day and age … we can't control sources. What we can control is what we're doing within our building, and that's what we do. We talk to our guys all the time, kind of about where we're at, where we're headed, what's going on around us. Guys understand the business aspect of it."
Listen to the full interview below, in which Forman also discusses Derrick Rose's progression and what he thinks of the Pau Gasol acquisition.
Gar Forman on the Mully and Hanley Show
Cody is an editor at CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
