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Bulls-Jazz at the Hall

Posted by: Paul Klee

Monday, July 21, 2008 9:28 AM

We've written about it for weeks, now the date of NBA preseason game to become official. The following is In Monday's News-Gazette....

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CHAMPAIGN - The last time Deron Williams suited up at the Assembly Hall, it was as the point guard for the No. 1-ranked Illini.

The next time it will be as an Olympian and mega-millionaire.

With Williams as the central attraction, his Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls will play a preseason game at the Assembly Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. Jeff Wohlschlaeger, the Bulls director of game operations, said tickets for the exhibition game go on sale Aug. 23.

"It has been a long time since the NBA was in Champaign-Urbana," said Wohlschlaeger, a UI alum. "We're hoping the combined attraction of their 'hometown' team, the Bulls, and the premium attraction, Deron Williams, will be a great draw."

The most recent NBA game in C-U is believed to be a 1991 contest between the Denver Nuggets and then-Charlotte Hornets. The next game has been a work in progress.

Wohlschlaeger said he's been trying to coordinate a Bulls-Jazz exhibition game in C-U, using the Deron Williams angle, for about two years. The trick was convincing the faraway Jazz to make the trip. To make it worth Utah's while, the two teams will play at the United Center in Chicago the next night, Oct. 18.

Williams, who was named to the USA Basketball roster that will compete in the Olympics in Beijing in August, last week signed a three-year contract extension with the Jazz that is expected to be worth close to $50 million. He has an option for a fourth year that could bring the deal to as much as $70 million. In the C-U preseason game, he could be paired against Bulls rookie point guard Derrick Rose, the former News-Gazette State Player of the Year from Simeon.

Tickets for the Assembly Hall contest will be priced from $25-$70. An official announcement from the Bulls, the home team, is expected early this week.

Klee
pklee@news-gazette.com