Bulls Reward Luol
Last summer, following his breakout performance in the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Luol Deng took a calculated gamble by turning down a $57.5 million extension with the Chicago Bulls. This week that gamble paid off in a big way, as Luol signed a new deal with Chicago worth $71 million, plus incentives that could push that number to $80 million.
Last summer, following his breakout performance in the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Luol Deng took a calculated gamble by turning down a $57.5 million extension with the Chicago Bulls. This week that gamble paid off in a big way, as Luol signed a new deal with Chicago worth $71 million, plus incentives that could push that number to $80 million.
Bulls Cornerstone Heads Across the Pond
Luol came to terms with the Bulls just one day before he joins the Great Britain national team for the upcoming European Championships. London will host the 2012 Olympics and Luol has been leading the charge for UK Basketball. He is very excited about helping with the development of basketball in Great Britain.
Blue Devils Continue to Headline NBA Free Agency
Luol’s deal marks the latest chapter in a very eventful summer for Duke’s NBA free agents, as Deng joins Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Chris Duhon, and Dahntay Jones on the list of Blue Devils that have signed lucrative new deals this off-season. In only the last month, former Duke players have now signed contracts totaling well over $200 million in guaranteed money. That number is particularly impressive considering that the NBA free-agent market this summer has been so tight that several notable NBA players have opted to play overseas. Congratulations to each of them on their amazing success!
|
Player
|
Team
|
Salary
|
Years
|
|
Elton Brand
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
$82 million
|
5
|
|
Luol Deng
|
Chicago Bulls
|
$71 million
|
6
|
|
Corey Maggette
|
Golden State Warriors
|
$50 million
|
5
|
|
Chris Duhon
|
New York Knicks
|
$12 million
|
2
|
|
Dahntay Jones
|
Denver Nuggets
|
$1 million
|
1
|
|
TOTAL:
|
$216 million
|
19
|
In Part II of J.J.’s morning in the K Center, Duke’s all-time leading scorer plays the range game, tells a few stories and shows off his textbook jumper…
(Filmed by Video Coordinator Kevin Cullen)
Chris Duhon returned to Durham to host his annual summer camp from July 21-25. The 2004 All-American teamed with the Emily K Center, providing a unique opportunity for local youth to develop their basketball skills, have fun, and interact with former and current Blue Devil players. We spoke to Chris about his camp, his recent signing with the NY Knicks, and working out in the K Center…
Talk about your camp and why you chose to hold it here in Durham at the Emily K Center?
I am doing it back in Durham because it gives us an opportunity to give back to this community. When I was here playing in college this community was beneficial to me and helped me get to where I am today. I want to give these kids an opportunity to do something positive in their lives. The Emily K Center seemed like the perfect place because this is something that they do every day. They are always trying to help kids better themselves and better their lives. We just talked about joining forces and doing it together.
I am doing it back in Durham because it gives us an opportunity to give back to this community. When I was here playing in college this community was beneficial to me and helped me get to where I am today. I want to give these kids an opportunity to do something positive in their lives. The Emily K Center seemed like the perfect place because this is something that they do every day. They are always trying to help kids better themselves and better their lives. We just talked about joining forces and doing it together.
You just signed a two-year deal with the Knicks. What are your thoughts on that?
It is a blessing. I am very excited about it. Playing in Coach D’Antoni’s system I think will be beneficial to me because it is an uptempo style and he has a lot of trust in his point guards. I will be able to play more freely and do the things that will get us over the top and win more games. My expectations are high. I know they struggled last year so we will want to take it step-by-step and get better each year.
What was the free-agent process like for you?
It wasn’t too stressful. There were a lot of teams interested and by talking to them we were able to narrow it down. I visited New York and Orlando. Orlando made a great offer and that would have been a great situation for me as well. But I talked to Coach K, and we both thought that playing in Coach D’Antoni’s system and having the opportunity to be a starting point guard would be great for me. Also, playing in the city of New York in Madison Square Garden on the big stage — we both felt that would be the best situation.
You have played in Madison Square Garden quite a few times with Duke and then the Bulls. Do you have a favorite game?
Probably my favorite game was when we played Texas there my senior year. They were ranked in the top 10, we were ranked in the top 10, and we just played well the whole game. It was very exciting because you like playing that type of competition especially on the big stage at Madison Square Garden on ESPN where everyone is watching. For us to perform well and win that game was big.
You worked out at the K Center last night with our guys. What are your thoughts on the facility and how does it compare to NBA training centers you have seen?
It is better than a lot of facilities in the NBA. You can tell they put a lot of work and dedication into it. It ranks right there with the best because they have everything. They have the courts, the locker room, the weight room — everything is right there and accessible to you. It is a beautiful, beautiful facility. It probably would be the best of all the training facilities I have seen.
J.J. Redick spent over a month this summer in Durham working out daily in the K Center. Grad assistant Chris Carrawell put J.J. through intense morning workouts, and the pair allowed us to film one of their last sessions before J.J. returned to Orlando.
(Filmed by Video Coordinator Kevin Cullen)
Hello again Duke fans! We had our first exhibition game yesterday against Canada. I hope you guys were able to check it out. It was good for these guys to be playing again so they could get their timing, game legs, and feel for one another back. We realize there is a lot of work to do. We head off to China tonight with a stop in California first. We may do some workouts at Stanford so I will get to check out Coach Dawkins’ new home which will be pretty cool.
We continue to be so impressed with how these guys work and prepare. They all have been very professional in their approach to the game. These guys take a great amount of pride in what they do and are terrific competitors.
I spoke with a couple hundred Duke fans who were at the game last night. We really appreciate the support we get from around the country. We received so much positive feedback from the Duke community about how well our student-athletes represent our university. It was terrific to connect with so many Blue Devil fans and it meant alot to see all of the Duke Blue in the crowd in Las Vegas.
Thanks and I will touch base next from China…
Coach Wojo
