Folks, this is where it all goes down. In less than four hours from now I’ll be sitting down with Jim for his history-making Decision.

The live interview transcript will be posted right here, in this post, as close to real-time as possible. You’ll have to keep clicking the ‘ol refresh button to follow the live conversation.

Jim’s Decision will kick off at 8pm AEDT (Melbourne / Sydney time).

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7:44pm  - Camera crew is setting up. Jim will arrive any minute.

7:49pm – Jim is in the building. He’s wearing a bright blue and white shirt. Looking relaxed, as always.

7:53pm – Jim asks for a beer. We get him a beer.

7:57pm – We’re good to go. Jim gets an SMS from a mate of ours, Wibo. “Mention Ray Allen if you get a chance”. Great words of support from a true friend.

8:00pm - And we’re live.

Robd: Thank you very much. Everybody is on pins and needles across the country, particularly those teams who are in the running for Jim.

Robd: Are you ready to go Jim?

Jim: Ready as I’ll ever be.

Robd: What’s new? What’s been going on with you this Spring?

Jim: Man, this whole free agent fan experience, looking forward to it.

Robd: What have you thought about this process?

Jim: This process has been everything I’ve thought and more. And that’s what I did a few months ago; I put myself in a position to have this process where I can hear teams’ pitches and figure out what was the best possible chance for me to ultimately support a good franchise and to ultimately be happy.

Robd: You weren’t able to be recruited before because you went straight to being a Bulls fan as a kid. Have you enjoyed this recruiting process now?

Jim: I have enjoyed it. And I want to thank all five teams that I had an opportunity to sit down with and read what they had to say.

It’s been an unbelievable experience, a real humbling experience to be even to be in this position.

Robd: What did you expect? Because we’ve seen hype on Twitter. We’ve seen teams send out their biggest fans Downunder. NBAMate has been swamped with visitors the past two months eager to hear your latest move. What did you expect from this process?

Jim: Well, certain things you can’t control. But I expected to be able to go through this process and be able to sit down with the teams and hear how they feel about me being a fan of their team.

And the process was everything I expected and more. And like I said before, I just thank all those teams that have come to NBAMate to give those presentations and have that process. It was everything that I’ve ever expected and more.

Robd: How many people know your decision right now?

Jim: Not many. It’s a very, very small number. And I probably could count them on my fingers.

Robd: One hand or two hands?

Jim: Depends on how many fingers you have on each hand.  Let’s say one.

Robd: When did you decide?

Jim: I think I decided this morning. I mean, I decided this morning. I went day to day. I wake up one morning, it’s this team. I wake up another morning, it’s this team. And it’s a process that I felt it was like, this is the best opportunity for me or not the best opportunity for me.

But this morning I woke up, had a great conversation with my mum. Once I had that conversation with her, I think I was set.

Robd: So the last time you changed your mind was yesterday?

Jim: The last time I changed my mind was probably in my dreams. And when I woke up this morning I knew it was the right decision.

Robd: Do you reckon we could keep drawing this out for another hour?

Jim: Doubt it. Who would want to listen to this for an hour?

Robd: Well we’re not even halfway through.

Jim: Really?

Robd: Yes.

Jim:  [silence]

Robd: Nice beard by the way.

Jim: Thanks

Robd: So does the team that you’re going to, that you’ll announce in a few minutes, do they know your decision?

Jim: One of my mates who supports them just found out.

Robd: They just found out?

Jim: Yeah.

Robd: So the other four, on pins and needles, they don’t know. They’ll be following this live?

Jim: Right.

Robd: Who in this process, Jim, have you taken advice from and who has had the biggest influence?

Jim: I’ve taken a lot of advice from my friends and family. My agent, Bruce Bolden, has been great. A lot of people that I look towards in a time of need or for advice, and ultimately they looked at me and said you ultimately have to live with your decision that you’re going to make, and you have to do what’s ultimately best for you, for your family and for you to ultimately be happy.

Robd: You said ‘ultimately’ four times in that sentence Jim.

Jim: No I did not.

Robd: What was the major factor, the major reason in your decision?

Jim: I think the major factor and the major reason in my decision was not necessarily picking the team with the best chance of winning and winning now.  Rob, you know ever since I was a rookie or even in high school, we always talked, that was never the number one thing for me.  Sure I want to support a team that wins, but I’ve had some great times supporting unsuccessful sports teams in the past and that just makes the successful periods even sweeter, and I want to continue to do that as a fan.

The major factor for me was the connection I felt to the team, to the organization and to the city all as a package.  It is important for me to have the opportunity to bond with the franchise enough in the near term that I will continue to want to support them even after all of the current reasons for supporting them are gone.

Robd: Do you have any doubts about your decision?

Jim: No. I don’t have any doubts at all.

Robd: Would you like to sleep on it a little longer, or are you ready to make this decision?

Jim: I’ve slept enough. More like a lack of sleep.

Robd: Are you still a nail biter?

Jim: Uh, I’ve never been a nail biter. Not sure where you’re getting your questions from.

Robd: Well you’ve had everybody else biting their nails. So I guess it’s time for them to stop chewing.

Jim: Still don’t know what that’s got to do with anything…

Robd: The answer to the question everybody wants to know… Jim, what’s your decision?

Jim: In this spring… this is very tough… in this spring I’m going to take my fan talents to the Windy City and join the Chicago Bulls.

Robd: The Chicago Bulls? That was the conclusion you woke up with this morning?

Jim: That was the conclusion I woke up with this morning.

Robd: Why?

Jim: Like I said before, I feel like it’s the team to give me the best opportunity to re-form a deep connection with in the near term and to support for multiple years, and not only just to win a championship or two in the next few years, or to have a player or something else to latch on to in the near term. And I feel like I can regain my passion for the franchise down there.

Robd: Was it always in your plan to go back to Chicago, the team you followed as a kid?

Jim: Well, I mean, I’m looking forward to it. To say it was always in my plans, I can’t say it was always in my plans because I never thought it was possible.

But the things that the Chicago Bulls franchise have done to be able to build a developing team with potential without attracting a massive bandwagon and to be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have me as a fan, it was hard to turn down.

Robd: How do you think you’ll be able to adjust, given you haven’t closely followed the Bulls for over a decade now.  How do you think you’ll be able to fit in with this team?

Jim: Rob, look, I think this team is the perfect fit for a fan of my type.  I was always after a city which I can have a great time in (New York, Miami), and about a team that has some sort of connection to my roots (be it the Australian connection in Milwaukee or the other sporting codes in Philly), and the Bulls just seem to have that balance that I need.

I also think I am the right type of fan that the Bulls need right now.  I am not coming in with immediate expectations for this squad.  I don’t demand success straight away and I don’t demand the special treatment a new fan might need in order to become passionate about a team.  I think I have been a dormant Bulls fan for all of these years, and I only realized that after going through this process.

Robd: Of the other four teams, which were you most close to choosing?

Jim: Before this process started, I would have told you that Miami and New York were right at the top of the pile, for reasons that are well known to you.  In terms of Miami – the thought of supporting an immediately title-contending team that contains a player whose athleticism and mere presence on my TV make me bristle with excitement was very tempting (Usain Bolt and Buddy Franklin are probably the only two other humans who have a similarly visceral impact on me).  And in the case of New York, well the case put forward on NBAMate was compelling, and reaffirmed the reasons I had for considering them. I can’t tell you I won’t be a little jealous of Knicks fans when that organisation finally gets their shit together on the court.

But the big surprise for me out of this process was that at the end of it all, at a purely intellectual level I wanted to choose Milwaukee.  I think there are some really good reasons why an Aussie basketball fan should choose them, and they were definitely the big movers in the process.  If I hadn’t had my Bulls history rekindled I would probably be taking my fan talents camping with the Bogey Man in Milwaukee.

Robd: How do you explain this to the people in New York, Miami, Milwaukee and Philadelphia?

Jim: I mean, it’s heartfelt for me. You know, it’s hard to explain, but at the same time my heart, I had to go with the team I started with.

I mean, those 2-3 plus mates that I sat on the couch with every NBA game I watched the last few years, and they’ve seen me grow from a 25 year old man to a 28 year old man. And I never wanted to miss out on supporting some potentially very exciting teams in the future.  And my heart will always be around some of these teams for the reasons presented to me. But I also felt like this is the greatest challenge for me is to move back to supporting the Bulls.

Robd: How do you explain this to LeBron? He knows he’s your favorite player, but you’ve chosen Chicago ahead of his Miami Heat. What kind of reaction to you expect from LeBron?

Jim: I don’t know if LeBron can truly comprehend what I have been through these past few months.  I mean, this decision, this is potentially life changing for me and my family.  I just hope he can understand the difficulty I have had in making this, and he should know that he will always have a soft spot in my heart.  From watching him play I can tell that he has modeled his game and his career on my own, and I just hope that he can begin to develop more of an inside presence over the next couple of years, much I like started to at his age.

I will undoubtedly continue to follow his game from afar.

Robd: Ever want to go through this again?

Jim: This is tough. This is very tough, because you feel like you’ve let a lot of people down. You’ve raised a lot of people’s expectations also. But it was a tough decision, because I know how loyal I am.

And one thing my mother told me when I was going through this process and what ultimately helped me make my decision is you have to do what’s best for you and what’s going to make you happy at the end of the day, because no one can live with the consequences or anything that comes with your decision besides you.

And once I heard that from my mother, the person that I always look to for guidance, it was easy.

Robd: You told me she had a major influence when you called her this morning. You didn’t believe the reaction she had would be the one that you got. Could you share with us what she said to you this morning?

Jim: Absolutely. Like I said, when I called my mother I thought I would hear a different reaction. But she reminded me of how much I loved the Bulls as a kid.  She reminded me that I had more Bulls posters in my room (Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant) than Hawks posters (Hawthorn that is), and was surprised that I was even considering not supporting them.

She felt it was going to make me happy. When I heard that from my mother, it was like it was the relief that I was looking for throughout this whole process.

Robd: Jim, we’re getting some footage coming through now of Tizzle burning a sign in his front yard that reads “NY Loves Jim”. How does that make you feel?

Jim: Look, all I can say to that is that Jim also loves New York, but they just don’t seem to be really lighting a fire in me.  I can’t really explain why I DIDN’T pick the Knicks, but at least the process has made me realise that I just don’t seem to have a connection with them, because I was pretty close to going with them because I love that city and everything else that comes with it so much.

A goal of my life is to see a game at MSG, that will never change.  I genuinely wish New York great success in the future, because I can’t wait to hate them like I did in the 90’s.  memories like these are one of the reasons why the Bulls rose to the top of my list.

Robd: Jim, thank you for your time. We know this has been a tough decision for you, and we thank you for allowing NBAMate to cover your story. We’ll be checking in throughout the season to see how you, and your Bulls, are holding up.

Jim: Thank you for having me.  This process has been very educating for me, and drawn out some very impressive arguments from each team.  If I hadn’t gone through this process I would have most likely become another member of the Miami bandwagon, and I am now relieved that I had so much help in making such an important decision in my life.

Robd: Well fans, that wraps it up. The greatest story of the 2010 NBA offseason has ended. Jim is a Bull.

If you have any thoughts or comments you’d like directed to Jim, feel free to leave them in the Comments section. We’ll pick the best ones for another Q&A with Jim soon.

1. Jim's Decision
2. Jim's Decision - Hawks back in the mix?
3. Bucks, 76'ers on Jim's shortlist
4. Exclusive Interview with Jim - which team has risen to the top?
5. Weighing in on Jim's Shortlist - The Hatorade Edition

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