Like most other NBA head coaches who have been asked about players not yet in attendance at the league’s Orlando campus, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was somewhat cagey on Sunday when asked about Eric Bledsoe‘s situation. However, as Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, Budenholzer sounded optimistic about his point guard, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
“The NBA has protocols that I think are trying to keep us all in our best place, our safest, to have a positive experience,” Budenholzer said. “When he clears those and when there’s something new to share with you guys we will, but we do feel like he’s on the closer end of the spectrum (to returning) than the longer.”
According to Velazquez, the expectation is that Bledsoe will be able to rejoin the Bucks before they resume play on July 31, though it will likely take him a little more time to get up to full speed. George Hill and NBA G League MVP Frank Mason III figure to handle point guard duties until Bledsoe is ready to go.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Jason Lloyd of The Athletic explores how Dan Gilbert‘s decision to take Quicken Loans public could impact the Cavaliers, noting that there’s no indication Gilbert has any intention of selling the franchise. Within the story, Lloyd adds that the Cavs owner is “turning up the pressure” on the team to show improvement next season in the third year of its rebuild.
- Bulls head coach Jim Boylen said last week that he’s encouraged by his relationship with the team’s new top executives (link via WGNTV.com). K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago takes a closer look at Boylen’s comments, noting that the head coach dined with Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley in Chicago earlier this month, and both execs have been watching the individual voluntary workouts taking place at the Advocate Center. Boylen’s status for 2020/21 remains unclear, but the longer the Bulls go without making any announcements, the more likely he seems to keep his job.
- In a pair of articles for NBC Sports Chicago, Rob Schaefer looks at how Kris Dunn and Ryan Arcidiacono performed in 2019/20 and what sort of future the two guards might have with the Bulls. Dunn is a restricted free agent this fall, while Arcidiacono has a guaranteed salary for ’20/21 and a team option for ’21/22.
Knicks Or Cavs GM job is easier than Bulls
Knicks and Cavs are wearing the win now hats
I expect Knicks to be succeed in free agent market and Cavs to be succeed in trade market
Trade projected 55th pick for the best rebounder is great
Just need 2 more trades like this
Succeed how ? Davis is the only star free agent and he won’t even give the hapless Knicks a meeting! I know he had them on the list last year but that was when they where in the running to sign kd and and either kyrie or kemba , Plus Zion ! they of course ended up with None and he ended up getting everything he wanted in la
Knicks say they want to make playoffs
Knicks can sign a free agent then deal him to 76ers for Tobias Harris At trade deadline
It helps 76ers to save tax
Who cares about taxes?!?!?
Two worst offers I have never seen are
Horford for Love
Wall for Love
I can easily propose 100 trades that are better
I think I have determined that Sillivan is a Google AI experiment gone awry.
It seems like Chicago parting ways with Boylen is the most logical move. By stalling his firing, the Bulls are only delaying the inevitable and prolonging their rebuild. The players don’t like him and it’s not like the team exactly performed up to expectations last season. The only player that didn’t regress was Lavine. Markkanen simply looked awful, which is a shame because he looked so promising in his first pair of seasons
Bucks should start Frank Mason and give him a decent amount of minutes to see how he does with the big boys.
Mason the G League MVP, he averaged 26 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds but on this Bucks team it’s more about giving Giannis the ball and spacing and when he’s off the court helping play as a team.
Mason shot 42.5% from deep meaning he can provide the spacing and his 5 assists show he has skills helping run the floor.
Give him a chance to succeed, and if he fails you can call upon George Hill who has years of experience and is a capable defender and floor spacer.