Chicago Bulls Free Agents Watch 2010

Boozer's not afraid: Utah power forward Carlos Boozer isn't scared off by Michael Jordan's legacy in Chicago and doesn't think any of the summer's other free agents will be, either.

"A lot of people in my era, in my age group, we watched M.J. do what he did: Win championships, be the face of the NBA and continue to dominate the game," Boozer said during an appearance on WMVP's "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on Wednesday. "I think most of the free agents this summer (think it's) probably an attractive thing to have that history, where M.J. played, where (Scottie) Pippen played for those six championships. So I think that will be more of a positive thing than a negative thing."

"I think the biggest question that you think about has to be loyalty," said Wade, a Richards grad who added he has been a Bulls fan for a long time. "I know one thing about Miami: It is a very loyal organization. I see what they do with their players when their players get done with the game of basketball … how loyal they are. I don't know about the Bulls."

Wade said it appears to him that the Bulls don't measure up to the Heat in the loyalty department.

"I see Michael Jordan is not there, Scottie Pippen is not there.

The Bulls remain poised to pursue James aggressively once the free-agent recruiting period begins July 1. Thibodeau and James share the same agency, which would add a small selling point beyond the opportunity to play with a young All-Star in Derrick Rose and another budding star in Joakim Noah.

For starters, James said he hasn't decided what he's going to do and is ''far from close'' to making a decision. His answers to other questions seemed to back up the notion that he hasn't made up his mind.

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''My ultimate goal is to win a championship, and I understand that me going down as one of the greats will not happen until I win a championship,'' he said. ''For me, the team that I decide to go to [or me staying in Cleveland] has to be the best chance of winning a championship -- not just one year, but multiple years.

[...]

When asked if he felt a responsibility to Cleveland because him leaving could have a negative impact on the local economy, James had an interesting reply:

''As far as saving a city economically, I can't get too involved in that, I can't let that affect a decision of mine and what I do in the future,'' he said.

''But as far as what I do in the community, that has a lot to do with it. What I do in the city of Akron and the city of Cleveland means a lot to [me].''

James certainly didn't say anything to make Bulls fans feel any less optimistic about the chances he'll be calling the United Center home next season.

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here's one man's morning-line odds for the LeBron Derby:

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, 5-2 -- If James stays put, it'll be out of loyalty. With general manager Danny Ferry resigning Friday, the franchise is in the midst of a total reorganization.

BULLS, 3-1 -- If it's really all about the best situation to win, James would have to take a serious look at the Bulls. Besides young stars in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, the Bulls have other solid players in Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson. It also doesn't hurt that James grew up a Bulls fan during the Jordan era.