Hawks interested in Harpring

[Scott]

Bulls show interest in forward Harpring

3 other teams pursue free agent

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By K.C. Johnson

Tribune staff reporter

August 1, 2002, 11:04 PM CDT

The Bulls' interest in Matt Harpring has intensified to the point that the free agent small forward was brought in to visit the city and the Berto Center practice facility earlier this week.

Harpring, who started 81 games last season with Philadelphia, is said to have been impressed on the visit. But if the Bulls want to sign Harpring, they might need to act fast.

Atlanta, Miami and Utah also have shown interest in the 6-foot-7-inch, 231-pounder, who is an unrestricted free agent after Philadelphia pulled its $2.4 million qualifying offer. Harpring, who lives in Atlanta, was wooed personally by one team there this week.

The Bulls likely wouldn't sign Harpring unless they could move Eddie Robinson, whose deal will pay him $5.687 million this season. Moving a contract that has $26 million remaining on it is difficult, leaving the Harpring situation in somewhat of a holding pattern.

General manager Jerry Krause also hopes to work out a sign-and-trade with Travis Best.

With Corie Blount signed, the Bulls also are contemplating signing a veteran point guard. Former Bull Kevin Ollie, sent to Indiana in last February's Jalen Rose trade, is the latest name to surface.

Indiana has expressed interest in re-signing Ollie and recently made him an offer, but the five-year veteran is open to other proposals.

Take a break: Guard Jamal Crawford skipped Rose's charity game last weekend because of tendinitis in his knee. Luckily for Crawford and the Bulls, the tendinitis is in his right knee and not the left one that was surgically repaired last season. The condition forced Crawford's minutes to drop during the team's final three summer league games.

Copyright © 2002, The Chicago Tribune

[Guest]

Why would we want a bum like Matt Harpering?Babcock would

be dumb to sign this guy.Is he ever going to learn about injury

prone players?

[JTFan31]

In reality I wouldnt mind to have Matt in a Hawks Uni. He is a hardworker and plays hardnose defense, he has a great work ethic and avgs anywhere between 12-13 ppg, IMO I think he will be a great addition.

[Guest]

I think signing him is another potential excuse for when we

don't make the playoffs"Oh um Matt Harpering missed 30

games and if he played we might have made the playoffs"

just another injury prone player to use as a excuse.Matt

is a bum anyway.All he had to do was do the little things

for Philly and could't even do that right.

[Guest]

I'd rather go after Rodney Rogers....He would be a good 6th man

or starter at SF for us.Alot better than Harpering.Matt isn't as

effective as his numbers look.

[BlackHawkDown]

Matt Harpring is a fraud sissyballer why would we even think about this hack when Mike Miller and Shane Battier are possiblities. Hell I would rather pick up some NBDL guy than that fraud Harpring.

M.Miller or Battier or Bust

BHD

[Blunt91]

I wonder what kind of a deal they will offer Harpring? Will it be more than what they wanted to give Ira Newble? Harpring isn't that much better than Ira and no better than Chris Crawford plus he isn't as athletic as Crawford or Newble.

[Guest]

Jay - can you provide any more elaboration on why you say there's no chance of Harpring coming to atl/ why he says he doesn't want to?

[Traceman]

than Battier and Miller put together. He may be a lot of things but a sissy ain't one of 'em. Matt was a GREAT football player in highschool and he had offers from most Div I schools including GA, FL, Notre Dame and Michigan. Matt is tough as nails and he gets the most out of his ability. I would see him an upgrade over Ira on offense and fairly close on D. In other words, he's a solid player but I don't think he's as good as Miller or Battier.