John Paxson believes it is in the best interest of Kirk Hinrich to wait until next season to sign an extension when he's eligible for a six-year deal, instead of a five-year one.

"Jeff Austin and I have both kind of agreed not to publicly make any statement,'' Paxson said Thursday. ''But the reality of the situation is that on an extension, Kirk is eligible to get five years [now]. Next year he'll be eligible to get six. If I'm Kirk's agent -- he's not one of these 21- or 22-year-old guys, he's going to be 26 this year -- I think it's probably wise of them to look toward next summer when they can get a six-year deal from us.

''It's always tough -- there's a business side to this [job] and kind of an emotional side to it. Everybody knows we love Kirk. I expect him to be in a Bulls uniform for a long time, if not his whole career. But if I'm his agent and I'm looking at five years vs. six, it's a big thing.

''That ultimately will work itself out whether it's in the next month or next summer, because No. 1, we want him here and we think he fits us perfectly. And I think Kirk wants to be here.''

In 1995, as a high school freshman, Kirk Hinrich wrote a letter to himself which was to be opened 10 years later in 2005.

?It said he wanted to be a guard for the Chicago Bulls,? Hinrich's father said.

?It was my dream,? said Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich on Saturday.

With Chicago relatively thin at center, Ex-Bull Antonio Davis, who lives in Naperville, has told NBA teams he is not interested in playing this season.

The Bulls aren?t expected to offer Toni Kukoc a contract before training camp opens Oct. 3, but the veteran forward plans to stay ready and available in case general manager John Paxson changes his mind at a later date.

Kukoc, who resides in Highland Park, worked out at the Berto Center as recently as last week, joining Bulls players for informal pickup games.

?Absolutely, he?s not retired,? said Herb Rudoy, Kukoc?s Chicago-based agent. ?Pax told him to wait it out. We?re just waiting. There?s no timetable for this at all. Right now, his plan is to stay in shape.?

Rudoy said NBA teams call constantly asking if Kukoc, 38, is ready for another season. But Kukoc only wants to play for the Bulls or Milwaukee in order to stay close to his family.

Shawn Kemp's planned workout at the Berto Center never materialized Monday, and it's unlikely the six-time NBA All-Star will receive another invitation from the Bulls, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Kemp experienced travel problems late Sunday night but still arrived in Chicago early Monday morning. Instead of working out with the Bulls, he traveled to his hometown of Elkhart, Ind., to visit an ailing relative.

Kemp, who retired in 2003 after 14 seasons because of weight issues, also missed a planned workout with Dallas earlier this year.

Looking for a big man to fill out their roster, the Chicago Bulls will have a suprise visitor at the Berto Center this week for a tryout, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune is reporting, when ex-SuperSonic Shawn Kemp makes his case to make the roster.

Ten years and three months after facing Michael Jordan and Co. in their prime as a member of the SuperSonics during the 1996 NBA Finals, the six-time All-Star would seem to have little chance to snag the final spot.

Retired since playing 79 games with Orlando in the 2003-03 season, Kemp, 36, has a past that includes a stint in rehabilitation for cocaine abuse, two arrests for marijuana possession and weight problems.

The Bulls already have Malik Allen, who can step out and hit the midrange jumper. Kemp was known as a solid but never spectacular shooter during his 14-year NBA career.

But Kemp, whose association with coach Scott Skiles dates to their formative basketball years in Indiana in the late 1980s, has been on a mission to return to the NBA since 2005.

Claiming he now weighs 257 pounds, three pounds lighter than in his prime, Kemp was arrested for marijuana possession in July. He told Seattle reporters the drugs were old and he hadn't used drugs since 2004.

The court case is pending.

The Bulls also are expected to look at former Orlando center Andrew DeClercq.

Luke Schenscher, who averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 20 games with the Bulls last season, is the leading candidate to fill the final roster spot.

After 18 months of rehab on a bad right knee, Andrew DeClercq wants to give his career one final chance.

DeClercq, a 10-year NBA veteran who last played in the NBA with the Orlando Magic in the 2004-05 season, will spend this week working out in Chicago, hoping to impress the Bulls enough to be invited to their training camp next month.

He has no contract, no promises, no guarantees of anything but a chance to show whether his knee is good enough to play again.

"I'm going after it as if I'm a rookie again,'' DeClercq said after a recent workout at RDV Sportsplex. "I'll give it everything I've got left and see if that's good enough. At this point, people don't know.''

The New York Times reported on Saturday that the league would require standardized cardiac screening for every player in the league. The action comes in response to the death of Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier in October and the highly-publicized heart testing controversy surrounding current New York Knicks center Eddy Curry.

After Curry experienced an irregular heartbeat in March of 2005, the Chicago Bulls asked that he undergo genetic testing to determine if he was predisposed to a potentially fatal heart condition. He declined and Bulls general manager John Paxson traded him to New York that offseason.

According to the Times, the league will now require a number of tests which exceed the American Heart Association 12-point program. They include a physical examination, blood work, an electrocardiogram, a resting echocardiogram and a stress echocardiogram. Players must also provide personal and family histories to screen for certain predispositions.

Dickey Simpkins hasn't played for the Bulls since 2000, but has been working out at the Berto Center this summer. He is not expected to be at training camp though.

Toni Kukoc had hoped to play for Milwaukee or Chicago this season and since neither team appears interested in signing him, he will likely retire.

"It looks like I'm done," Kukoc said Monday after playing in the Skip Kendall Charity Pro-Am Fore Kids at Tripoli Country Club. "There are teams that want me, but I don't want to go far from home."

Kukoc, a 6-foot-11 forward, played 13 seasons in the NBA, including six-plus years with the Bulls and the last four with the Bucks.

"My choice was either Chicago or Milwaukee," he said. "Milwaukee is going with a young team and Chicago is in need of a big guy, so that's it."

"No, not at all," he said when asked if he expects to miss the game. "I think it's time for me to move away from basketball. It was a huge part of my life and gave me pretty much everything I desired but there comes a time when you just can't take it anymore.

"I can still play 10, 15, 20 minutes, maybe, but I don't need it anymore. I always felt like I needed to play basketball. Right now, it's not my most desirable thing anymore. I'd rather play golf."