A federal judge sentenced former Bulls draft pick Lonny Baxter to 60 days in prison on Friday for illegally shipping firearms.

The decision could affect the 28-year-old Baxter's upcoming season with a Spanish league team.

U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte based the sentence on Baxter's history with firearms and his actions in the case.

"You are in a sense on injured reserve," Messitte told Baxter. "You have in effect injured yourself."

Ben Gordon hopes to be able to work out a contract extension with the Chicago Bulls before the team's Oct. 31 season opener against the Nets.

Gordon, 24, is about to embark on the final year of the four-year rookie contract he signed with the Bulls in 2004 after getting drafted out of Connecticut.

"The Bulls have an opportunity to extend my contract with them this summer," Gordon said yesterday. "So I'm hoping something gets done and I won't have to wait another year to see what's going to happen. I've done everything possible I could have done to help my team get to the playoffs, and I think it's up to them right now to see if they want to make a long-term commitment."

The path is clear for Joakim Noah to play his international basketball for France after the 22-year-old was officially made a French citizen.

Noah, who will play for the Bulls next season, on Thursday received the necessary paperwork after months of waiting.

NBA stars Eddy Curry and Antoine Walker were the targets of the same crew of armed robbers who scoped out their luxury homes to plan last month's headline-grabbing strong-arm robberies, police said Friday.

Four reputed members of the Traveling Vice Lords street gang have been charged in the Walker robbery, and two of the four have been charged in the July 28 Curry robbery, police officials said.

Walker, a Mount Carmel graduate who now plays for the Miami Heat, said Friday he didn't know any of the men accused of breaking into his $4 million River North home on July 9, binding him with duct tape and robbing him of $200,000 in cash and jewelry.

"I don't know anybody,'' Walker said at a City Hall news conference where he announced a charity basketball game scheduled for Sunday. "But I feel comfortable. I feel happy they have someone in custody and hopefully we can get them off the street."

The Chicago Bulls announced today the signing of 2007 second-round draft pick JamesOn Curry. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

Curry (6-3,190) was Chicago?s third selection and the 51st pick overall. He started 83 of 101 contests at Oklahoma State and posted career averages of 13.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 2.9 rpg and shot .437 from the field, including .404 from three-point range, and .758 from the free throw line. In just three seasons as a Cowboy, he finished 13th in school history in scoring (1,363), third in three-pointers made (197), ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.404) and ninth in assists (356).